Awesome Animal Fact - Tiny Black-footed Cat

Yes, I'm STILL featuring obscure wild cats...

Did you know the black-footed cat is Africa's smallest wild cat? Weighing only 2.2 to 5 pounds (1 to 2.4 kg), these tiny cats look similar to domestic house cats, though they are only half the size of house cats.

These cats may be small, but they are amazingly fierce and energetic hunters, often walking over 22 miles (35 km) in a single night in search of prey. Biologists who have studied these cats consider them to be the deadliest cats in the world, with a success rate of 60%, meaning they successfully catch and kill 60% of the prey animals they pursue. Lions have a success rate of only 20 to 25%. As one scientist stated, "In one night, a black-footed cat kills between 10 and 14 rodents or small birds, averaging a kill about every 50 minutes."

Where these cats live in South Africa they are often called miershooptier, which is Afrikaans for "anthill tiger." They get this name because, during the day, they often rest in hollow termite and ant mounds.

Photo Credits:
- Black-footed cat - DepositPhotos