May 09, 2025

Krishna Kakani

Black-Footed Cat: The Deadliest in the World

​The black-footed cat, sometimes called the small-spotted cat, is the smallest feline species in Africa.​

Credit: slowmotiongli / Getty Images

​While among the smallest in the world, it holds an outsized distinction: that of being the deadliest cat.​

Credit: slowmotiongli / Getty Images

​Earning the black-footed cat its accolade is a hunting success rate of 60 percent, the highest of any species.​

Credit: Charles Barilleaux, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

​The black-footed cat is found in southern African wilderness, including South Africa, Botswana and Namibia.​

Credit: Jonathan Kriz, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

​In a single night, the predator can hunt between 10 and 14 small animals, including rodents and birds.​

Credit: slowmotiongli / Getty Images

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