Any animal that calls the wild home should never be underestimated, no matter the size. But there is something to be said for the small cats that are able to survive in competitive environments like Africa, where there are countless predators and formidable prey to be mindful of while doing their own hunting. Often underappreciated when discussing the successful hunters of the savanna, today we’ll be outlining and appreciating the not-big cats of Africa.
Serval
Starting with one of Turpentine Creek’s most visible examples, we’ll briefly discuss the serval, since there are so many opportunities to learn about them at the refuge!
Sometimes called “the cat of spare parts,” the serval is an odd looking cat in comparison to it’s relatives. They have long legs, a shorter tail, huge ears, spots like a cheetah on their body, and stripes like a tiger on their tail. But all of these adaptations work in their favor. They have a keen sense of hearing, blend in well with their environment, can jump 15 feet in the air, and have exceptional balance. All this put together amounts to succeeding in their hunts more than 50% of the time – to put this into perspective, lions are only successful 30% of the time! Keep that in mind as we continue down the list.
Caracal
Moving forward to another animal that calls Turpentine Creek home, the caracal! They have a sprawling range throughout Africa to India and can survive in a number of habitats. They’re well known for the tufts of fur at the tops of their ears resembling lynxes, but they are not related. Not much is known about their hunting, one study stated only 10% were successful, but they’re the fastest felines of their size, reaching speeds of 50 mph!
African Golden Cat
Found only in the tropical forest region of Africa the African Golden Cat is known for being an elusive sight, the first picture of them was taken in 2002. Despite their name, they come in more colors than gold, they can be seen in grayer shades, and even appear with melanism at times. They’re so elusive we aren’t sure on the species status, but they’re known for hunting small forest mammals.
Sand Cat
Despite their size, these tiny wild cats have been found to roam territories as large as leopards and tigers – over 1,000 miles! Such intensive movement suggests a nomadic lifestyle, possibly motivated by rains, which has never been documented in any wild feline before. They are also well known for their hunting prowess, taking down all types of small animals, including venomous snakes! This is aided by the fact that they’re able to instantly reach 25 mph while running on soft sand, and we can’t even see their prints because of all the fur on their paws, so it’s impossible to track them!
African Wildcat
These familiar looking predators are believed to be the first cat to be domesticated! Though similar to the house cat, we can see the differences between them in the African Wildcat’s stockiness and general larger size. They’re known for hunting small animals like birds and rodents. Unfortunately, one of their greatest threats is the domestic house cat, because they breed with each other so often, the true African Wildcat is being lost to the muddied gene pool.
Jungle Cat
Despite their name, Jungle Cats are more commonly found in wetlands, which results in other names like Swamp Cat, and Reed Cat. But they’re all the same cat! They count for this list, since they do roam a piece of Egypt along the Nile River, but they’re found all over India, and live even further east. They’re known for hunting rodents before birds in some areas, and others they have been seen diving under the river’s surface to catch fish!
Black-footed Cat
This is the smallest of the wild cats roaming Africa. Despite this, people who have witnessed the Black-footed Cat hunt joke they could take down a giraffe. They’re renowned for their hunting prowess. They are believed to be the most successful hunting feline, with a tentative success rate of 60%. Not much is known about them since their populations are dwindling, they’re so elusive, and they have relatively small territories.