Details
Felis nigripes
Black-footed cat is one of the smallest wild cats, native to dry parts of southern Africa. Farming, overgrazing, and poisoning can affect this small cat in dry landscapes.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It lives in dry grassland, semidesert, and scrub, using burrows or termite mounds as shelter. Main habitat types in this guide are desert, grassland.
Typical length 36-52 cm, weight 1 kg-2.5 kg. A tiny body, spotted coat, dark soles, round face, and large eyes are characteristic.
It is nocturnal and usually solitary. It travels alone at night over long distances, hunting many small ground-dwelling prey.
It is carnivorous. Rodents, birds, reptiles, and insects are captured frequently to fuel its small body.
Females raise kittens in burrows, leaving them sheltered while hunting.
Habitat loss and human pressure make conservation attention important. Farming, overgrazing, and poisoning can affect this small cat in dry landscapes.
