CARACAL

Caracal caracal

STATUS: 

The Soviet Central Asian subspecies has an IUCN listing as rare. All Asian populations have a CITES appendix 1 listing.

DESCRIPTION: 

The Caracal resembles a Eurasian Lynx and for a long time it was considered a close relative of the lynxes.  The colour of the fur is variable: it may be wine-red, grey or sand-coloured. Melanistic (black) Caracals also occur. Young Caracals bear reddish spots on the underside; adults do not have markings except for black spots above the eyes. The most conspicuous feature of the Caracal are its long, tufted black ears, which also explain the origin of its name – karakulak, Turkish for "black ear". Its ears are controlled by 20 different muscles to help it find its prey. The tufts of fur help pinpoint its prey

SIZE: 

Males typically weigh about 13-18 kg (28-40 lbs), while females are smaller.  The Caracal is 65 cm in length (about 2 ft), plus 30 cm tail (about 1 foot). It has longer legs and a slimmer appearance than a lynx.
 

POPULATION:

Unable to determine.  Despite existing in healthy numbers, Caracals are rarely seen in the wild.

LIFESPAN: 

Its life expectancy in the wild is 12 years, or 17 years in captivity.

RANGE: 

The Caracal is distributed over Africa and western Asia.

HABITAT: 

Caracals are at home in a number of habitats. They are found in woodlands, savannahs, and in scrub forests, but avoid sandy deserts. In Southern Africa, this species is more commonly found in upland areas. Caracals typically use abandoned porcupine burrows and rock crevices for maternal dens but can be found with their young in dense vegetation.
 

FOOD: 

Caracals are carnivores, often hunting for rodents and hares; rarely it may even attack a gazelle, a small antelope or a young ostrich. It is a picky eater, and discards the internal organs of the mammals it catches, partially plucks the fur off hyraxes and larger kills, and avoids eating hair by shearing meat neatly from the skin. However, it will eat the feathers of small birds and is tolerant of rotten meat. It is most well-known for its skill with hunting birds; the Caracal is able to snatch a bird in flight, sometimes more than one at a time.

BEHAVIOR: 

Caracals are nocturnal animals. Although mainly terrestrial, they are excellent jumpers and climbers. They are the fastest felids of their size. The social system of the caracal is not well understood. They are primarily solitarily or live as mated pairs. Individuals appear to defend territories which they mark with urine.

OFFSPRING: 

Caracals appear capable of breeding year round. After a gestation of 69-78 days, a female gives birth to 1-6 cubs, with an average litter size of 3. Young are nursed for 10-25 weeks.
 

THREATS: 

While they are not threatened in the wild, Caracals have at time come under backlash by farm owners for hunting down their livestock.