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| Felis nigripes Burchell, 1824 |
The black-footed cat (Felis nigripes) is a small wild cat distributed over South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and marginally into Zimbabwe. William John Burchell ( 23 July, 1781 Fulham, London - 23 March, 1863 Fulham was an English explorer, Year 1824 ( MDCCCXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Felidae is the biological family of the cats a member of this family is called a felid. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa on the Atlantic coast The Republic of Botswana (Lefatshe la Botswana is a Landlocked nation in Southern Africa. See also Great Zimbabwe National Monument. For information about the March and June 2008 presidential elections see Zimbabwean presidential election The habitats of this cat species are arid semi-desert and savannah, like the Karoo and parts of the highveld, but it is only sparsely distributed in the Kalahari Desert. A habitat (which is Latin for "it inhabits" is an Ecological or environmental area that is inhabited by a particular Species. In general terms the Climate of a local or region is said to be arid when it is characterized by a severe lack of available Water, to the extent of hindering A Semi-arid climate or steppe climate generally describes climatic regions that receive low annual Rainfall (250-500 mm or 10-20 in A savanna or savannah is a Tropical or Subtropical Grassland or Woodland Ecosystem. The Karoo (a Khoisan word of uncertain etymology) is a semi- Desert region of South Africa. The Highveld is a high Plateau region of South Africa which is largely home to the largest metropolitan area in the country the Gauteng City Region With an average mass of 1. 6 kg (3. 5 lb) it is one of the smallest living species of cats. Females have an average weight of 1. 3 kg (2. 9 lb), males 1. 9 kg (4. 2 lb). [3] The head-body length is 36-52 cm (14-21 in), plus 13-20 cm (5-8 in) of tail and a shoulder height of about 25 cm (10 in). The head appears over-sized relative to the rest of the body. The fur is cinnamon buff to tawny or off-white with distinct solid blackish spots which are joined to bands behind the shoulders and that form rings around the legs and tail. Fur is a body hair of any non-human Mammal, also known as the Pelage. As the name implies, the soles of the feet are black. The black-footed cat is a solitary animal and is active at night and thus rarely seen. As an Animal behavior, nocturnality describes sleeping during the Daytime and being active at Night - the opposite of the diurnal In the daytime it hides in Springhare (Pedetes capensis) burrows, under rock slabs and shrubs, and within hollow termite mounds. The Springhare ( Pedetes capensis) or Springhaas, is not actually a Hare, but a member of the order Rodentia it is the only species in its A burrow is a hole or tunnel dug into the ground by an Animal to create a space suitable for habitation temporary refuge or as a byproduct of locomotion The termites are a group of Social Insects usually classified at the taxonomic rank of order Isoptera (but see also taxonomy
Due to its small size, the black-footed cat hunts mainly small prey species like rodents and small birds, but may also take the White-quilled Bustard and the cape hare, the latter heavier than itself. Rodentia is an order of Mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously-growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. UserPolbot. -->The White-quilled Bustard ( Eupodotis afraoides; also known as Northern Black Korhaan) The Cape, Common or Brown Hare ( Lepus capensis) is a Hare natively found throughout Africa, and has spread to many parts of the Insects and spiders provide only less than 1% of the prey mass consumed. Insects ( Class Insecta) are a major group of Arthropods and the most diverse group of Animals on the Earth with over a million described Spiders are Predatory Invertebrate Animals that have two body segments, eight legs no chewing mouth parts and no wings [4][5] The black-footed cat is a shy animal that seeks refuge at the slightest disturbance. However, when cornered it is known to defend itself fiercely. Due to this habit and its courage it is called the "miershooptier" (anthill tiger) in parts of the South African Karoo, although it rarely uses termite mounds for cover and for bearing its young. A San legend claims that the black-footed cat can kill a giraffe by piercing its jugular. The Bushmen, San, Sho, Basarwa, ǃKung or Khwe are indigenous people of southern Africa that spans most areas of South Africa The giraffe ( Giraffa camelopardalis) is an African Even-toed ungulate Mammal, the tallest of all land-living Animal Species The jugular veins are Veins that bring deoxygenated blood from the Head back to the heart via the Superior vena cava. This exaggeration is intended to emphasize the bravery and tenacity of the animal.
Some authors state that it may be relatively common in parts of its range, however, mostly it is considered rare and it was recently listed as vulnerable in the IUCN Red List. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List) created in 1963 is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global [2]
A litter consists usually of two kittens, but may vary from one to four young. For other meanings of litter see Litter (disambiguation. A litter is the offspring at one birth of Animals from the same mother and usually A female may have up to two litters during the southern hemisphere spring, summer and autumn. Kittens become independent with about 5 months of age but may still remain within their mother's range.
Within one year a female covers an average range of 10 km² (3. 9 sq mi), a territorial male 22 km² (8. 5 sq mi). The range of an adult male overlaps the ranges of 1-4 females[3] The animal travels 8 km (5 mi) per night in search of prey. Energy requirements are very high, with about 250 grams (9 oz) of prey per night consumed, which is about a sixth of its average body weight.
There are possibly two subspecies: the smaller and paler Felis nigripes nigripes in the northern parts of southern Africa, and Felis nigripes thomasi, slightly larger and of darker colour, distributed in the south-east of South Africa. Specimens with characteristics of both subspecies are found close to Kimberley, central South Africa, where these distinctions break down.
References
- ^ Wozencraft, W. C. (16 November 2005). Events 534 - A second and final revision of the Codex Justinianus is published Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. in Wilson, D. E. , and Reeder, D. M. (eds): Mammal Species of the World, 3rd edition, Johns Hopkins University Press, 536. ISBN 0-801-88221-4.
- ^ a b Cat Specialist Group (2002). Felis nigripes. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List) created in 1963 is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 5 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is vulnerable
- ^ a b Sliwa, A. (2004). "Home ranges of black footed cats".
- ^ Sliwa, A. (1994). "Black-footed cat studies in South Africa". Cat News 20: 15-19.
- ^ Sliwa, A. (2006). "Seasonal and sex-specific prey composition of black-footed cats Felis nigripes". Acta Theriologica 51 (2): 195-204.
External links
- Black-footed cats at wild-cat.org
- Black-footed cat, small-spotted cat
- bigcats.com article
- Animal Info - Black-footed cat
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