caracal

Also known as desert lynx, Caracal caracal, Lynx caracal, Persian lynx

The caracal (Caracal caracal; ) is a wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and arid areas of Pakistan and northwestern India. It is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long tufted ears, relatively short tail, and long canine teeth. Its coat is uniformly reddish tan or sandy, while the ventral parts are lighter with small reddish markings. It reaches at the shoulder and weighs . It was first scientifically described by German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber in 1776. Three subspecies are recognised.

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The caracal (Caracal caracal) is a species of big cat within the genus Caracal. It is also referred to by common names including African Caracal, Asian Caracal, Lince Africano, and Lynx Du Désert. The taxon is classified as a subclass of big cat and has an IUCN conservation status of Least Concern, as assessed in 2016.

Its primary food sources include Hyracoidea, impala, Dorcas gazelle, and Madoqua. The species has a gestation period of 70 days and a longest observed lifespan of 20.3 years. It is listed under Appendix I of CITES. The taxon was described in the Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary.

Synthesized by Vinony from 18 facts across 3 sources: Wikidata, IUCN Red List, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

In the Vinony graph

Vinony's link graph records 879 inbound references to caracal, and connects out to Hyaenidae, Herpestidae and CITES.

It sits within the topics Caracal (genus), Desert fauna and Fauna listed on CITES Appendix I.

Vinony links it to 106 Wikipedia language editions.

Species

Least Concern

Maximum longevity: 20.3 years (captivity) Observations: One wild born female was about 20.3 years old when she died in captivity (Richard Weigl 2005).

via IUCN

Wikidata facts

Instance of: taxon
Subclass of: big cat
Parent taxon: Caracal
Image: Lightmatter caracal.jpg

Show 12 more facts

taxon rank: species
IUCN conservation status: Least Concern
taxon name: Caracal caracal
Commons category: Caracal caracal
Commons gallery: Caracal caracal
gestation period: 70
taxon common name: caracal
described by source: Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary
longest observed lifespan: 20.3
CITES Appendix: Appendix I of CITES
short name: C. caracal
main food source: Pedetes

Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~17 min read

Encyclopedic overview

15 sections

Contents

Etymology
Taxonomy and phylogeny
Phylogeny
Characteristics
Distribution and habitat
Ecology and behaviour
Diet and hunting
Reproduction
Threats
Conservation
In culture
See also
Notes
References
External links

Typically nocturnal, the caracal is highly secretive and difficult to observe. It is territorial, and lives mainly alone or in pairs. The caracal is a carnivore that typically preys upon birds, rodents, and other small mammals. It can leap higher than and catch birds in midair. It stalks its prey until it is within of it, after which it runs it down and kills it with a bite to the throat or to the back of the neck. Both sexes become sexually mature by the time they are one year old and breed throughout the year. Gestation lasts between two and three months, resulting in a litter of one to six kittens. Juveniles leave their mothers at the age of nine to ten months, though a few females stay back with their mothers. The average lifespan of captive caracals is nearly 16 years.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “caracal” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.