“And she is aggressive, despite her small stature.” This passage from Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” was written to characterize the character Hermia, but the words might equally be used to describe Africa’s black-footed cats.
They may appear to be charming, cuddly, and identical to your own cat, yet this small feline is a natural assassin. A mature black-footed cat measures 14 to 20 inches in length, not including the tail, and weighs 2 to 5 pounds.
While it has the appearance of a domestic cat, it has the ferocity of a lion.
In this video, we witness Gyra, one of these felines, stalking a bird. Black-footed cats will consume anything that moves, including scorpions, gerbils, and birds. Sixty percent of all black-footed cat hunts are successful, the highest hit rate of any wild cat, making them the world’s deadliest cats.
These cuties are not only deadly, but they also cover a lot of ground. They may go 20 km in a single night, the longest distance ever reported for a smaller cat species.
So don’t be fooled by the black-footed cat’s little size. She is fierce, despite her small size.
Watch the video here!
