Meet the World's Deadliest Cat: A 2-Pound Hunter Hiding in African Burrows

• The black-footed cat, weighing 1-2 kg, is Africa's deadliest feline, outperforming lions and leopards in hunting efficiency.
• New research in southern Namibia reveals its critical dependence on abandoned springhare burrows for shelter and raising young.
• Females use multiple burrows, changing dens frequently after kittens mature to reduce predation risk from jackals and caracals.
• The species faces threats from slow reproduction, kidney disease, habitat loss due to overgrazing, and poisoning.
• Conservation efforts require cooperation with farmers and protecting burrow-building rodents like springhares, which are not prey.