THE AFRICAN CAT WITH BLACK FEET
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The black-footed cat (Felis nigripes) is a small-sized wild cat that lives in South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zimbabwe. Their ideal environment is arid soils, savannah and dry and desert. The black-footed cat (Felis nigripes) is a carnivorous mammal belonging to the Felidae family.
The weight of the females is around 1.5 kg, while the males weigh from 2 to 2.5 kg. It is one of the smallest cats in the world. It has a much larger head than the body. It has dark or black legs and a fawn gold coat with black or brown spots.
The black-footed cat is a solitary and nocturnal animal and is rarely seen. During the day it hides in burrows, under shrubs among the rocks, and inside termite mounds
The black-footed cat hunts small prey such as rodents and small birds. It can also feed on insects and spiders although they provide less than 1% of its diet. The black-footed cat is lonely and hides at the slightest disturbance. If he feels threatened he comes to fiercely defend himself.
Unfortunately, the black-footed cat is at risk of extinction. The female usually has a litter of only two kittens, but can range from one to four kittens. A female can have up to two litters during the spring, summer and fall. The puppies become self-sufficient at around 5 months, but can still remain close to their mother.
A female has an average territory of an average radius of 10 km2 while a male a male can reach 22 km2.
There are two subspecies:
1) Felis nigripes nigripes: they are smaller and lighter and live in the northern parts of southern Africa;
2) Felis nigripes thomasi: slightly larger and darker in color and living in southeastern South Africa. Specimens with characteristics of both subspecies are found near Kimberley, in central South Africa, where these distinctions are lost.
We never stop learning about feline beauty, we hope that we can protect and protect these beautiful creatures and not allow them to become extinct.
