Small-spotted cat
The Black-footed cat (Felis nigripes) is the smallest wild cat in Africa. The first black-footed cat known to science was discovered in the northern Karoo of South Africa and described in 1824. This rare and secretive cat usually rests in burrows during the day and hunts at night. It feeds on 40 different vertebrates and kills up to 14 small animals per night.
No
NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
Ca
CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
Te
TerrestrialTerrestrial animals are animals that live predominantly or entirely on land (e.g., cats, ants, snails), as compared with aquatic animals, which liv...
Cu
CursorialA cursorial organism is one that is adapted specifically to run. An animal can be considered cursorial if it has the ability to run fast (e.g. chee...
Me
MesopredatorA mesopredator is a medium-sized predator in the middle of a trophic level, which typically preys on smaller animals. When populations of apex pred...
Am
Ambush predatorAmbush predators are carnivorous animals that capture or trap prey by stealth, luring, or by (typically instinctive) strategies utilizing an elemen...
Te
TerritorialA territory is a sociographical area that which an animal consistently defends against the conspecific competition (or, occasionally, against anima...
Vi
ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
Bu
BurrowingA burrow is a hole or tunnel excavated into the ground by an animal to create a space suitable for habitation, temporary refuge, or as a byproduct ...
Pu
Pursuit predatorPursuit predation is a form of predation in which predators actively give chase to their prey, either solitarily or as a group. Pursuit predators r...
Po
PolygynyPolygyny is a mating system in which one male lives and mates with multiple females but each female only mates with a single male.
So
SolitaryNo
Not a migrantAnimals that do not make seasonal movements and stay in their native home ranges all year round are called not migrants or residents.
B
starts withThe Black-footed cat has tawny fur that is entirely covered with black spots. Its head is darker than the rest of the body but paler above the eyes. Its whiskers are white, and its ears bear grizzled dark brown hairs. On the neck and back, some spots are elongated into stripes. The spots form transverse stripes on the shoulders. The forelegs and the hind legs bear irregular stripes. Its tail is confusedly spotted. The underparts of the feet are black or dark brown. The throat rings form black semi-circles that vary in colour from dusky brown to pale rufous and are narrowly edged with rufous. Some individuals have a pure white belly with a tawny tinge where it blends into the tawny colour of the flanks. The ears, eyes and mouth are lined with pale off-white. Two black streaks run from the corners of the eyes across the cheeks. Individuals vary in background colour from a sandy and pale ochre to dark ochre. In the northern part of its range, it is lighter than in the southern part, where its spots and bands are more clearly defined. The three rings on the throat are reddish brown to black, with the third ring broken in some individuals. The black bands are broad on the upper legs and become narrower towards the paws. The 25 to 30 mm (0.98 to 1.18 in) long guard hairs are grey at the base and have either white or dark tips. The underfur is dense with short and wavy hair. The fur becomes thicker and longer during winter. The pupils of the eyes contract to a vertical slit and are light green to dark yellow.
Black-footed cats live in Namibia, South Africa, marginally into Zimbabwe, and can also be found in extreme southern Angola. They inhabit open, arid savannas and semi-arid shrubland in the Karoo and the southwestern Kalahari with short grasses, low bush cover, and scattered clumps of low bush and higher grasses.
Black-footed cats live solitary lives and are only found in the company of others when breeding or in the case of a mother with dependent offspring. They are strictly nocturnal, hunting only at night, and sleeping during the day in abandoned termite mounds or unoccupied springhare, porcupine, or aardvark burrows. With their bold small spots and stripes on the tawny fur, these cats are well camouflaged, especially on moonlit nights. Males have territories that are much larger than the females’ ones and will overlap with as many as four females’ ranges. They mark their territory with scent and the rubbing of scent. Female territories also often overlap with the areas of other females, but they always hunt on their own. In one night, they can travel between 5 and 16 km (3.1 and 9.9 mi) in their search for food. Their hunting is by a method of stalking, running, and pouncing, or they wait outside rodents’ holes for their prey. They can also catch birds in flight, jumping up to 1.4 m (4 ft 7 in) high, and also dare to attack mammals and birds much heavier than themselves. Unlike most other cats, Black-footed cats are poor climbers, as their stocky bodies and short tails are thought not to be conducive to climbing trees.
Black-footed cats are carnivores and feed mainly on mice, small lizards, insects, and birds. They have adapted well to their habitat and hardly ever need to drink water.
Black-footed cats are probably polygynous, because male territories overlap with those of up to five females, while the female ranges generally only overlap one male range. The mating season is from July to March. Females can have two litters per year, with often 1 to 3 kittens in each litter (though 1 to 2 is more usual). The gestation period is 59 to 68 days. The kittens start to venture outside their den when they are 3 weeks old, and at about 6 weeks old they are fully weaned and can start to hunt their own prey. By five months old kittens are independent, but they may remain inside their mother's range. These cats become reproductively mature at 1-2 years of age.
The most important threat comes from traps and poisons set for other animals. Farmers target the African wildcat, so the Black-footed cat can easily become a victim of poisoned bait and steel-jaw traps, and carcasses poisoned to control locusts and jackals could kill Black-footed cats feeding on them. Furthermore, overgrazing from cattle causes habitat degradation throughout the Black-footed cat’s range, and can impact them by reducing the number of small vertebrates which they eat.
According to the IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Black-footed cat is fewer than 10,000 mature individuals. Currently, this species is classified as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, and its numbers today are decreasing.
Black-footed cats are primary predators of birds and small mammals in the areas they inhabit, controlling their populations in this way.
