Origin
The black-footed Wildcat (Felis nigripes) is part of the order Cranivora and the family Felidae. It can be found in the desert and savanna areas of Southern Africa. It is a species endemic to South Africa that lives only in Namibia, but also in Botswana, Zimbabwe or Angola.
It cannot be bred in captivity because it cannot be tamed. At the moment it is not in danger of extinction. Many die poisoned with pesticides to combat locusts or bait to combat rodents and jackals. The number of specimens in the Wild is about 10,000. Unfortunately the number is decreasing due to the imputination of food.
It can be found in specialized or foreign literature under the names: Black-footed Cat, Small-spotted Cat, Chat a Pieds noirs, Gato De Pies Negros, Gato Patinegro, Schwarzfusskatze.
Feeding black-legged cat
The black-legged cat is a greedy predator that has adapted well to the environment in which it lives. Its main food consists of small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians. It also feeds on spiders, insects (ants, termites, grasshoppers) that it hunts at night.
It is active more at night. One of the favorite ways to hunt cats is ambush. It follows its prey and waits for it standing motionless in close proximity until it enters its attack range. Usually the classic method in which a feline kills an animal is by suffocation. She sticks her claws into him and bites him around the neck.
A study that was conducted in the field for 6 years shows that it fed on small mammals(39%), larger mammals (17%) and small birds. According to the study it catches 5-6 species per night. 50% of the food that catches it at night is brought to the burrow when it has cubs.
Appearance black-legged cat
The black-legged cat is one of the smallest felines. Definitely the smallest cat in Africa and probably the smallest cat in the world. It is no smaller than an ordinary cat.
It has a body length of 35 to 50cm, a height of 25cm at geaban and a weight of 2-3kg(about 1.5 kg for the female and 2 for the male ). It differs very easily from other felines by coat color.
The coat is light brown with dark brown spots and streaks. The head is well proportioned, the ears are rather large pointing upwards. The legs are short and strong ending with fur-covered detele that helps it move without making noise. Each finger ends with a retractable claw.
The muzzle has a large opening, and the pupils dilate at night for a better view. The eyes are large, light in color, directed forward. The tail is 15 - 20cm long and represents almost half the length of the body.
Behavior black-legged cat
The black-footed cat is an animal that has adapted well to open areas where it is constantly on the lookout for small rodents and ground-dwelling birds. They are solitary animals. The territory of the male is larger than that of the female. Adults walk between 6 and 10km per night.
Despite their small size they are considered the smartest African felines. During the day when it is warm, it shelters in the burrow of other animals or after a rock if it is in the area. Being solitary animals they are not very talkative. Communicate with neighbors through traces of urine. Urine is used for two purposes: to delimit territory and to warn intruders during mating.
The enemies of the black-footed wild cat are primarily humans. Natural enemies are raptors, snakes and jackals.
Breeding black-legged cat
During the breeding season after the partners are chosen, both the male and the female mark the territory with jets of urine. If they are generally discreet animals that do not want to be seen or heard, during this period they show their aggression and attack potential intruders.
They live in burrows that they dig or use abandoned Ant Burrows. The territory of the male overlaps 5 territories of the females, and the females usually only overlap with the territory of a single male 50% of the area.
The female and male stay together for only 5 to 10 hours while copulation lasts. It takes place in August and September. Females can have several births in a year.
After copulation follows the gestation period of 60-70 days in which the female gives birth to 1-4 Cubs weighing less than 100 grams. They are born blind and are totally dependent on the mother who breastfeeds them for a month. After a month they begin to eat solid food, and at the age of 3 months they become independent.
They reach maturity around the age of one year. Life expectancy is around 13 years in the wild and 16 years in captivity.
