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8th January 2024
02:09pm GMT
The world's deadliest cat is settling into her new home.
Gaia is a eight-month-old black-footed cat and was moved to the Hogle Zoo in Utah on December 28.
The zoo has since shared some sweet pics of her enjoying her new surroundings.
Along with being very cute though, Gaia is also a formidable predator and is considered to be the deadliest feline on the planet.
Black-footed cats - who get their name from, yes, the black markings on their feet - live in the grasslands and savannas southern Africa. They are the smallest species of wild cat in Africa, growing to about a 1 foot, 6 inches long and usually weighing around 4.4 lbs.
But don't let their size fool you. The species are known “ant-hill tigers” in the Afrikaans language, and in a TikTok the zoo labelled Gaia "one of the smallest and deadliest cats out there."
Black-footed cats are carnivores and feed on rodents, birds, reptiles, insects and spiders.
Hogle Zoo’s associate director of animal care, Bob Cisneros, told the Salt Lake Tribune that the species has a hunting success rate of more than 60 per cent, far better than the 25 per cent rate of their big cat relatives.
Gaia arrived at the zoo from the Black-Footed Cat Consortium for breeding purposes and it is hoped she will "significantly contribute to the program."
Here, she will meet Ryder, a 3-year-old black-footed cat who already resides at the Hogle Zoo, with the hopes that they will breed.
Reacting to footage of Gaia, people labelled her "perfect", "just a baby" and "drop dead cute."
But despite her appearances, Gaia would not make a good pet, Cisneros warned.
He said: “Black-footed cats do not make pets. Wild animals do not make good pets.
“It takes specialized staff to feed and care for an animal like this, knowing that she is a very successful hunter in the wild.
“They have a reputation for being a very fierce cat, pound for pound.”
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