This Caturday, meet the black-footed cat (Felis nigripes). It’s the smallest wild cat in Africa, only growing about 8 in (20 cm) tall and weighing around 4.4 lbs (2 kg). Don’t let its size fool you: This pint-sized predator is an extremely successful hunter, with a recorded kill rate of 10 to 14 prey animals per night—taking down critters such as rodents and birds about every 50 minutes! How does this stack up to bigger felines? The black-footed cat’s hunting success rate is 60 percent, far higher than that of a group of lions on the hunt—they peak at about 30 percent. And why does this tiny cat eat so much? This species’ fast metabolism requires it to refuel constantly.
Photo: Patrick Ch. Apfeld, CC-BY-3.0, Wikimedia Commons
