Africa’s smallest wild cat species, the black-footed cat, may look sweet, huggable and similar to your cat at home, but this tiny, furry package is really a natural assassin — so keep your hugs to yourself.
BBC One’s new special Big Cats dives into the elusive, enchanting and wild world of cats of all shapes and sizes. The limited series makes use of new camera technology, allowing the crew to film in remote places with little to no light.
These advancements helped Big Cats capture intimate footage of the black-footed cat, a swift, nocturnal creature, for all of us animal lovers to enjoy.
In the teaser clip, we see one of these felines, who looks like our perma-kitten dream come true. She has been named Gyra by researchers, and she has set off into the Karoo desert in search of grub for herself and her kitten.
Black-footed cats eat anything they can get their paws on — like scorpions, gerbils and birds — and they get their paws on a lot. Sixty percent of all the species’ hunts are successful, which is the statistic that makes them the deadliest cat on the planet.
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“This peek into the life of the black-footed cat embodies their character well. Despite their sweet exterior, due to their diminutive size, they hunt with deadly precision and tenacity. They are such charismatic little killers, particularly Gyra with her ‘scary eye look’! She looks so innocent but then is such a ruthless and efficient killer,” scientist Alex Sliwa told BBC.
Along with being particularly lethal, these cuties also cover a lot of ground. Black-footed cats are known to walk 20 miles in one night, which is the furthest distance recorded for smaller cat species.
You go, black-footed cat!
