Scientific Classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Genus: Caracal
Species: C. caracal
Conservation Status
Caracals can grow 16-20 inches at the shoulder, 28-43 inches long, and weigh 15-42 pounds with females being smaller than males.
Their most defining feature is their 4.5-cm-long black tufts on the ears that droop with age. Caracals are usually a reddish or sandy color, though black ones have been spotted, with a light underbelly and black facial markings.
First described in 1776, the caracal is medium-sized wild cat found in the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, India, and Pakistan. There are three subspecies which inhabit dry areas with available covering like scrub forests, savannas, semideserts, and marshy lowlands.
Caracals are carnivores, consuming things such as birds, small and large mammals, and rodents. They will occasionally eat grapes and grasses to clear their bodies of any parasites as well.
The caracal can hunt a variety of prey, jumping 12 feet skyward for birds, changing direction in the air, climbing trees, and even taking down antelopes 2-3 times their size!
Even though caracals can breed throughout the year, births will usually peak between October to February. After mating, females will remain pregnant for 2-3 months before giving birth to 1-6 kittens. The kittens are born with the ears and eyes shut, and their adult coat coloration but with spotted stomachs. After 3 months, the kittens start hunting, although they won’t leave their mom until they are about 10 months old.
The caracal’s eyes may appear narrowly opened since their upper eyelid is lowered to shield their eyes from the sun’s glare. Caracals are nocturnal and more active in cooler temperatures. Even in ideal temperatures, these cats prefer to travel alone or in pairs. Communication with others is achieved using their ear tufts, facial marking, and the usual cat noises like hissing.
