| Black Footed Cat (Felis nigripes) | ||||||
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Black footed cats are the 7th felid species native to South Africa (the others are lion, leopard, cheetah, caracal, serval, and African wild cat), and by far the least known. This cat only weighs 2-5 pounds (1-2.5 kilo) and is only active at night. It is boldly patterned with blackish oblong spots, and its legs are barred with thick dark stripes. The undersides of its feet are black. The black-footed cat is restricted to the arid lands of Southern Africa. It is typically associated with open, sandy, grassy habitats with sparse shrub and tree cover, such as the Kalahari and Karoo regions. The northernmost records are from Namibia and Botswana although the species may occur in the south-western corner of Angola
The black footed cat research group (BFCG) is an international, interdisciplinary team of biologists, zoologists, and veterinarians. They radio collar the cats to learn about distribution, territory sizes, hunting patterns, prey species, and denning behavior.
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