The
Namibian Environment & Wildlife Society (NEWS Namibia) is asking the public to record sightings of Africa's smallest wild cat species, the
black-footed cat, to learn more about the exact distribution of the feline and about its conservation status. The black-footed cat is endemic to southern Africa, and is mostly found in the arid grasslands of
Namibia,
South Africa,
Botswana and sometimes even in Southern Angola. It is listed as vulnerable by the
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) since 2002.
The coat of the
black-footed cat is tan to reddish brown, strikingly covered with dark spots, and the legs have wide dark stripes. As the name suggests, the bottom of the feet are entirely black. Male
black-footed cats ca reach a head-to-body length of up 44 cm with a up to 20cm long tail. Females are smaller with a maximum head-to-body-length of about 37cm and a max. 17cm long tail. The shoulder height is about 25cm.
