The
name of the cat is a Portuguese word meaning "wolf-deer".This
fine photograph shows very well the appearance of this cat. This wild
cat has a slender body (somewhat like a Cheetah but much smaller, I
think), with long legs and a tail shorter than expected for this size
of
cat. The long legs give her the ability to jump. Her jumping skills are
required to catch and kill prey. Notice particularly the tall, large
ears close together (rangefinder like). These ears are particularly
sensitive and allow her to catch small prey, usually rodents, in the
long Savanna grass. So, although the prey is invisible it can be
heard. And the exact position of the prey can be ascertained by these
large ears. A large pounce follows directly onto the prey.
The coat is a nice camouflage.
It
is spotted brown (tawny) or black (tabby
coat). The head is small and rather out of
proportion. Her neck is elongated. One of the series
of photographs of this cat by Helmi is of the back of the cat.
You
can notice the
white
spot on the ears in this photograph. The tail has 6-7 black
rings
(I think I can count 6 on the cat in this picture). The background
color is pale yellow. They are poached for their skins which are traded
as young Leopard skins or Cheetah skins. This has caused the breed to
become extinct in South Africa Cape Province.