Caracal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Caracal |
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| Caracal in Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park | |
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Caracal
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caracal
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| Distribution of caracal, 2016 | |
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The caracal (Caracal caracal) is a medium-sized wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and arid areas of Pakistan and northwestern India.
Contents
Description
The caracal is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long tufted ears, and long canine teeth. Its coat is uniformly reddish tan or sandy. It reaches 40–50 cm (16–20 in) at the shoulder and weighs 8–19 kg (18–42 lb).
The prominent facial features include the 4.5-cm-long black tufts on the ears, two black stripes from the forehead to the nose, the black outline of the mouth, the distinctive black facial markings, and the white patches surrounding the eyes and the mouth.
The caracal is sexually dimorphic; the females are smaller than the males in most bodily parameters. Male caracals measure in head-to-body length 78–108 cm (31–43 in) and have 21–34 cm (8.3–13.4 in) long tails; 77 male caracals ranged in weight between 7.2 and 19 kg (16 and 42 lb). The head-to-body length of females is 71–102.9 cm (28.0–40.5 in) with a tail of 18–31.5 cm (7.1–12.4 in); 63 females ranged in weight between 7 and 15.9 kg (15 and 35 lb).
Distribution and habitat
In Africa, the caracal is widely distributed south of the Sahara, but considered rare in North Africa. In Asia, it occurs from the Arabian Peninsula, Middle East, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan to western India. It inhabits forests, savannas, marshy lowlands, semideserts, and scrub forests, but prefers dry areas with low rainfall and availability of cover. In montane habitats such as in the Ethiopian Highlands, it occurs up to an elevation of 3,000 m (9,800 ft).
In Ethiopia's Degua Tembien massif, they can be seen along roads, sometimes as roadkills.
In the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, a male caracal was photographed by camera traps in Jebel Hafeet National Park in the Al-Ain Region, Abu Dhabi in spring 2019, the first such record since the mid-1980s.
In south-western Turkey, caracals are present in a wildlife reserve in the provinces of Antalya and Muğla that is regularly used for recreational and agricultural activities. However, they avoid humans and are active mostly at night. In Uzbekistan, caracals were recorded only in the desert regions of the Ustyurt Plateau and Kyzylkum Desert. Between 2000 and 2017, 15 individuals were sighted alive, and at least 11 were killed by herders.
In Iran, the caracal has been recorded in Abbasabad Naein Reserve, Bahram’gur Protected Area, Kavir National Park and in Yazd Province.
In India, the caracal occurs in Sariska Tiger Reserve and Ranthambhore National Park.
Behaviour
Caracals are typically nocturnal. Thet are very secretive and difficult to observe. Caracals live mainly alone or in pairs. The caracal marks rocks and vegetation in its territory with urine and probably with dung, which is not covered with soil.
The ear tufts and the facial markings often serve as a method of visual communication. Caracals have been observed interacting with each other by moving the head from side to side so that the tufts flicker rapidly. Like other cats, the caracal meows, growls, hisses, spits, and purrs.
Diet and hunting
The caracal is a carnivore that typically preys upon birds, rodents, and other small mammals. In South Africa, it preys on the Cape grysbok, common duiker, bush vlei rats, rock hyrax and Cape hare. Mammals generally comprise at least 80% of its diet, and it may also target larger antelopes such as young kudu, impala, Cape bushbuck, mountain reedbuck and springbok. The remaining percentage is made up of lizards, snakes and insects. Rodents comprise a significant portion of its diet in western India.
It stalks its prey until it is within 5 m (16 ft) of it, after which it runs it down and kills it with a bite to the throat or to the back of the neck.
Kills are consumed immediately, and less commonly dragged to cover. The caracal may scavenge at times, though this has not been frequently observed.
Reproduction
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.
Kittens are born with their eyes and ears shut and the claws not retractable (unable to be drawn inside); the coat resembles that of adults, but the abdomen is spotted. Eyes open by ten days, but it takes longer for the vision to become normal. The ears become erect and the claws become retractable by the third or the fourth week. 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.
In the 1990s, a captive caracal spontaneously mated with a domestic cat in the Moscow Zoo, resulting in a felid hybrid offspring.
Threats
The caracal is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List since 2002. Habitat loss due to agricultural expansion, the building of roads and settlements is a major threat. It is thought to be close to extinction in North Africa, critically endangered in Pakistan, endangered in Jordan, but stable in central and Southern Africa.
Local people kill caracal to protect livestock, or in retaliation for its preying on small livestock. Additionally, it is threatened by hunting for the pet trade on the Arabian Peninsula. In Turkey and Iran, caracals are frequently killed in road accidents.
In Uzbekistan, the major threat to caracal is killing by herders in retaliation for livestock losses.
Conservation
African caracal populations are listed under CITES Appendix II, while Asian populations come under CITES Appendix I. Hunting of caracal is prohibited in Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Caracals occur in a number of protected areas across their range.
In South Africa, the caracal is considered Least Concern, as it is widespread and adaptable to a variety of habitats. It is tolerant to human-dominated areas, although it has been persecuted for many decades. Farmers are encouraged to report sightings of caracals, both dead and alive, and livestock killed by caracals to the national Predation Management Information Centre.
The Central Asian caracal population is listed as Critically Endangered in Uzbekistan since 2009, and in Kazakhstan since 2010.
In culture
The caracal has been religiously significant in the ancient Egyptian culture. It occurs in paintings and as bronze figurines; sculptures are thought to have guarded the tombs of pharaohs. Embalmed caracals have also been discovered.
The caracal was esteemed for its ability to catch birds in flight and was used for coursing by Mughal emperors in India at least since the Delhi Sultanate. Chinese emperors used caracals as gifts. In the 13th and the 14th centuries, Yuan dynasty rulers bought numerous caracals, cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) and tigers (Panthera tigris) from Muslim merchants in the western parts of the empire in return for gold, silver, cash and silk. According to the Ming Shilu, the subsequent Ming dynasty continued this practice.
Until as recently as the 20th century, the caracal was used in hunts by Indian rulers to hunt small game, while the cheetah was used for larger game. In those times, caracals were used to hunt bustards, francolins, and other game birds. They were also placed in arenas with flocks of pigeons and people would bet on which caracal would kill the largest number of pigeons. This probably gave rise to the expression "to put the cat among the pigeons". Its pelt was used for making fur coats.
Interesting facts about caracals
- It was first scientifically described by German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber in 1776.
- Three subspecies are recognised: southern caracal (C. c. caracal) (Schreber, 1776) – occurs in Southern and East Africa, northern caracal (C. c. nubicus) (Fischer, 1829) – occurs in North and West Africa, and asiatic caracal (C. c. schmitzi) (Matschie, 1912) – occurs in Asia.
- The name 'caracal' was proposed by Georges Buffon in 1761 who referred to its Turkish name 'Karrah-kulak' or 'Kara-coulac', meaning 'black ears'.
- The caracal is also known as desert lynx and Persian lynx.
- The caracal is often confused with a lynx, as both cats have tufted ears. However, Lynx species are spotted and blotched, while the caracal shows no such markings on the coat.
- In the Tigrinya language, its name is ጭክ ኣንበሳ, ch’ok anbessa, which means 'bearded lion'.
- The caracal can leap higher than 3.0 m (10 ft) and catch birds in midair.
- In Ancient Egypt, caracals were captured, bred, and tamed to be the pets of the pharaohs. The pharaohs' caretakers catered to their every need to ensure their comfort. This means that cats were treated as if they were "royalty."
Images for kids
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Caracals are efficient climbers.
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A caracal hunting in the Serengeti
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Caracal mother and kitten
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A caracal in the San Diego Zoo
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A cheetah and a caracal kept for coursing by Rajasthani royalty, c. 1890
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See also
In Spanish: Caracal para niños
