Black-footed cat: a baby terminator takes 15 lives a night (12 photos)

Tigers, lions, and leopards nervously smoke on the sidelines. The world's deadliest cat is on the prowl! Every night, this fury takes up to 15 innocent lives: its attack effectiveness ranges from 70 to 90%. This is more than any other feline and arguably the most among all predators on the planet.





So, where is it?... Right there, right under your feet, don't step on it! Our ferocious, merciless predator turns out to be half the size of a domestic cat. How does such a cute little animal manage to terrorize half a continent? Let's ask!



Lions, tigers, leopards, sign up for a hunting master class!

— Black-footed cat, welcome to the Book of Animals! We write articles about the most unusual animals in this world, and today you are our guest of honor. Readers will be interested to get to know you better. Tell us a little about yourself? — With pleasure. I'm tired of hiding in the shadow of my larger relatives. It's time to make a name for myself. No lion can match my hunting prowess! And today I'll reveal all my secrets to you—and you tell them to the whole world, let people listen and tremble!





A photo answer to the question of why this cat is called the Black-footed Cat.

— That's a serious statement! Then here's our first question: how do you manage to combine the incompatible? You're charming! Don't get me wrong, but it seems as if such a cute and small creature as you couldn't even hurt a fly!



— Excuse me, what's in your basket? — A pie filled with malice and rage toward all living things.

— I'll take that as a compliment. Yes, indeed, the average black-footed cat weighs half as much as a domestic cat. But in fact, size is one of our greatest assets! Look around: we live in South Africa, with miles of hot savannahs and semi-deserts. According to the laws of physics, the smaller the body, the faster it cools. While lions, leopards, and others suffer from the heat, we can run, jump, and hunt all night long.



Despite their physical advantage, black-footed cats remain in hiding during the day to avoid overheating. Fallen trees, burrows, and bushes serve as shelter.

— Is a modest size really an advantage? After all, it only allows you to hunt small prey. No offense, but lions, for example, are not hindered by their large size. — We're not just talking about hunting, we're talking about super-successful hunting! Your vaunted lions only catch their prey 25% of the time. That's because lions specialize in large prey, which requires a lot of effort to catch. Not only do they tire and overheat quickly, but they also risk getting horned in the side by a buffalo or antelope. For us, true masters of our craft, 9 out of 10 attacks are successful. Rodents, birds, lizards—food is everywhere, so catch it!



A photographer caught a cat in demon mode.

— Speaking of which. Could you share your secrets? How exactly do you catch your prey? — Just for you and just for today: we have two hunting tactics. The first is to lie in wait. All cats do that. It's boring and time-consuming, but it uses minimal energy. You just need to find a fresh rodent burrow and sit at the entrance. Sooner or later, it will appear, and then dinner is served.



When the older brother put you in a chokehold.

The second hunting tactic is active searching. This is more fun, and you can combine it with patrolling your territory. Females have a territory of 15 square kilometers, males up to 24 square kilometers. While you're out and about marking your territory, you might flush a swarm of locusts, catch a few birds or mice, and if you're lucky, you might even stumble upon a hare or a baby antelope. We don't specialize in large game, but we're skilled enough to bring down prey several times our size! Scientists have even recorded black-footed cats catching prey every 50 minutes. At this rate, that's about 15 mini-meals a night.



Each of us sometimes turns into a black-footed cat. Especially at night!

"But why do you need so many sacrifices?" "Alas, everything in this world comes at a price. Our agility, dexterity, and speed are the result of a high metabolism. Simply put, we're always hungry to the point of stupefaction! We must consume at least 1/6 of our own body weight per day—and that's just to avoid starving to death." "So it's a vicious circle? A high metabolism helps us hunt nonstop, but at the same time leaves us perpetually hungry?" "Exactly. We kill not out of bloodlust, but for survival! We don't even have time for romance!"



It's not that I eat too much! It's that you don't feed me enough!

"What time management do you have! When do you manage to do it all?" "We live in the Southern Hemisphere, so mating season here is in winter. At first, everything seems so sweet: the males sing serenades and fight for the lady of their hearts. Love is so overwhelming! However, after the date, all the suitors ride off into the sunset. The females have to cope with the newborns on their own. It's a good thing the kittens grow quickly and learn diligently. It only takes four months from a suckling to a death machine! After that, the cubs are considered independent and can easily take care of themselves. And if resources allow, the female can go for more right this same year."



"Sweetheart, what did they teach you in kindergarten today?" "To kill everything that exists!"

— Wow, that's fast! But we read here that the black-footed cat population is rapidly declining. You're fast, agile, and successful hunters. No one can match your lethality! And there seem to be no problems with reproduction. What's going on?



The morning doesn't begin with coffee, but with spilled blood!

— That's a question for you, not us! Global warming, urbanization, desertification—have you heard of such things? Even scientists can't cope with these processes. And we certainly can't. We have paws.



And anyway, even black-footed cats are liquid.