This Adorable Tabby Is the World’s Deadliest Feline



Felis nigripes, the African black-footed cat, is the most efficient feline predator on the planet. Though it stands only 8-10 inches tall and weighs around 200 times less than the average lion, you shouldn’t be fooled by its demure stature. This adorable furball has an accelerated metabolism that requires it to hunt almost non-stop, which means that it kills an average of 10 to 14 rodents or small birds every night, more victims than a leopard hunts in a month. To top it off, its predation success is around 60%, while lions only succeed in catching their victims about 20-25% percent of the time. To large animals, the African black-footed cat isn’t a concern, but to smaller inhabitants of the savanna, they’re a true nightmare. With excellent vision and hearing, almost anything that moves becomes a potential meal for the black-footed cat, and the chances of escaping it are slim.