The black-footed
cat (
Felis negripes) lives in the driest areas of
Namibia,
Botswana, and
South Africa. The
black on their
feet is dark
hair which helps protect them from the burning
sands of the
deserts they live in. They are
buff,
brown and/or
gray, sometimes
striped, and have been nicknamed "
tiger of the
termite mound" for an aggression surprising in a 4-pound cat, and the fact that they rest by day in abandoned termite mounds and
aardvark burrows. They generally hunt at night, and can get enough
moisture from the
rodents,
spiders, and
insects they eat that they don't often need to find a direct source of
water. The
females have special noises that they make to warn the
kittens to scatter and freeze if danger is near, which is unusual in
felines. They are quite
rare and listed as a protected species throughout the countries they live in.