Black-footed cat
| Black-footed cat | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Genus: | Felis |
| Species: | F. nigripes |
| Binomial name | |
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Felis nigripes Burchell, 1824 |
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| Subspecies | |
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F. n. nigripes Burchell, 1824 |
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| Distribution of the black-footed cat | |
F. n. nigripes Burchell, 1824
F. n. thomasi Shortridge, 1931
The black-footed cat, also called small-spotted cat (Felis nigripes), is the smallest African cat and endemic to the southwestern arid zone of the southern African subregion. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 2002, as the population is suspected to decline due to bushmeat poaching, persecution, traffic accidents and predation by domestic animals.
Jungle cat (F. chaus)
Black-footed cat (F. nigripes)
European wildcat (F. silvestris silvestris)
Sand cat (F. margarita)
African wildcat (F. silvestris lybica)
Domestic cat (F. catus)
The black-footed cat is a member of the genus Felis. It was first described by English naturalist William John Burchell in 1824.
Two subspecies have been nominated:
According to Shortridge's description, F. n. nigripes is smaller and paler than F. n. thomasi, but since specimens with characteristics of both assumed subspecies are found close to Kimberley in central South Africa, the existence of subspecies is questioned, as no geographical or ecological barriers to their ranges occur.
The black-footed cat is the smallest wild cat in Africa and rivals the rusty-spotted cat as the world's smallest wild cat. Males reach a head-to-body length of 36.7 to 43.3 cm (14.4 to 17.0 in) with tails 16.4 to 19.8 cm (6.5 to 7.8 in) long. Females are smaller with a maximum head-to-body-length of 36.9 cm (14.5 in) and tails 12.6 to 17.0 cm (5.0 to 6.7 in) long. Adult resident males weigh on average 1.9 kg (4.2 lb) and a maximum of 2.45 kg (5.4 lb). Adult resident females weigh on average 1.3 kg (2.9 lb) and a maximum of 1.65 kg (3.6 lb). The shoulder height is about 25 cm (9.8 in).
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Wikipedia