Frightening photo shows an enormous feral cat carrying a 6kg sand goanna in its mouth in Australia's rugged Simpson Desert
by Louise Ayling For Daily Mail Australia- A feral cat was photographed carrying a sand goanna in its mouth
- The feline was caught on film in the Simpson Desert near the QLD/NT border
- Researchers say it's not the first time they've seen cats feed off such large prey
A feral cat about the size of a small dingo has been spotted in Australia's Simpson desert carrying a huge sand goanna it had just killed.
Researchers captured the cat on film at the Ethabuka Reserve near the Queensland-Northern Territory border on wildlife cameras they'd set up to study decomposing animals in the desert.
The photograph shows the stark reality of Australia's feral cat problem, with the pests responsible for killing three billion native animals each year.
Scientists believe feral cats have been directly responsible for the extinction of 34 mammal species since they arrived in Australia 200 years ago.
They have also decimated the populations of other species, with at least 123 now threatened with extinction because of feral cats.
University of Sydney researcher Emma Spencer told Daily Mail Australia she was shocked to see a feral cat feasting on such a large predator.
'We don't often see cats catching something that large ... and goannas can weigh up to 6kg,' she said.
She said there was 'no doubt' the cat had killed the goanna, despite the reptile being a challenge for predators because of their strength and speed.
'They will scavenge for dead animals, but do prefer live prey.
'It's also uncommon to find dead goannas just left behind by another animal - so it's most likely a cat has grabbed the goanna'.
Ms Spencer said it was increasingly common to see ferals grow as large as the one seen in the video. While an average domestic cat will weigh between three and five kilograms, a male feral cat can weigh more than seven kilograms.
'Some of those cats can be as big as a small dingo,' she said.
There are an estimated 5.6million feral cats which cover just about every corner of Australia, Biosecurity Queensland said.
They eat everything from fish, frogs and insects to birds and marsupial, insects, fish and amphibians.
Biosecurity Queensland principal scientist Matthew Gentle told ABC news it's not the first time they've seen a feral cat take on much larger prey.
'We've seen similar photos through our research of cats dragging back killed wallabies … to feed offspring,' he said.
The photo was taken back in 2018, but uncovered by researchers two years later as they trawled through footage off the wildlife cameras earlier this month.
Social media platform Reddit blew up over the image, with users astounded by the cat's size.
One suggested feral cats would 'evolve to be the size of tigers' in 30 generations, while others shared their own stories of encounters with the wild animals.
Many took it as an opportunity to call for better management of cat species, because of their impact on Australia's native wildlife.
'It's time to seriously consider a ban on all feline pets. They are destroying local wildlife, soon they'll have an impact on the environment,' one wrote.
FERAL CATS IN AUSTRALIA
Feral cats were declared a national pest in 2015 after a meeting of environment ministers
The pest species is responsible for the death of an estimated three billion native animals each year, contributing to the extinction of 34 mammal species over the past 200 years.
They have also decimated the populations of other species, with at least 123 species like the bilby, numbat and western ground parrot now threatened with extinction because of feral cats.
Feral cats typically feed from a range of 400 different vertebrates. This includes:
- 123 bird species
- 157 reptiles
- 58 marsupials
- 27 rodents
- 21 frogs
- Nine exotic medium- and large-sized mammals
Source: The Conversation