Black Footed Cat Skull

$91.00

The Black-footed Cat is endemic to Southern Africa; its distribution is much more restricted than other small cats in this region. It’s range extends from South Africa into southern Botswana, Namibia, extreme southern Angola and southern Zimbabwe.

Description

Black Footed Cat Skull Replica measures 3.7 inches. Black Footed Cat Skull is museum quality polyurethane cast. Made in USA. Cast of an original California Academy of Sciences specimen. 2-part skull (separate cranium and jaw). Our precise skull can be used as a teaching tool, museum skull exhibit, home décor skull, or office décor skull.

The Black footed cat or Felis nigripes, also called small spotted cat, is the smallest African cat and endemic to the southwestern arid zone of Southern Africa.

It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 2002, as the population is suspected to be declining due to bush-meat poaching of prey species, persecution, traffic accidents and predation by domestic animals.

Despite its name, only the pads and underparts of the cat’s feet are black. The black footed cat or Felis nigripes has a stocky build with rounded ears, large eyes, and short black-tipped tail.

The fur varies in color from cinnamon-buff to tawny, and is patterned with black or brown spots that merge to form rings on the legs, neck, and tail.

These patterns provide the animals with camouflage; the backs of their ears, however, are the same color as the background color of their fur.

Due to their small size, black footed cat or Felis nigripes hunt mainly small prey species such as rodents and small birds, but also prey on northern black korhaan and Cape hare. They are unusually active hunters, killing up to fourteen small animals in a night.

The black footed cat or Felis nigripes hunt mainly by stalking, rather than ambush, using the cover of darkness and all available traces of cover to approach their prey before the final pounce.

They have been observed to hunt by moving swiftly to flush prey from cover, but also to stalk slowly through tufts of vegetation.

Less commonly, black footed cat or Felis nigripes wait outside rodent burrows, often with their eyes closed, but remaining alert for the slightest sound. Black footed cats have been observed to hide some of their captured prey for later feeding, rather than consuming it immediately.

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Additional information

Weight 4 lbs
Dimensions 3.7 in
Black Footed Cat Facts

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Felinae
Genus: Felis
Species: F. nigripes
Binomial name: Felis nigripes
Conservation status: Vulnerable