caracal

endangered cats

  • HB Length:61-105 cm (24-41″)
  • Tail Length:19-34 cm (7.4-13″)
  • Height:40-50 cm (16-20″)
  • Weight:6-20 kg (13-44 lbs)
  • Pop. Trend: Unknown

Although they are called ‘desert lynx’, Caracals Caracal caracal have longer legs, a more slender body, and the tail is considerably longer than true lynx. They also lack the ruff of hairs around the face which are so predominant in the northern cats. Melanistic Caracals have been reported, though only rarely.

The word Caracal means ‘black ears’ in Turkish. Large, tapering ears with five cm erect tufts of black hair, used for communication, are the most unique feature of this cat.

Black-backed ears, dark spots on both sides of the muzzle, black spots above the eyes and a black stripe from the eye to the nose break up an otherwise uniform tawny-brown to brick-red colouring. Eyes are large and yellow brown. The short, dense coat is slightly longer and whiter on the underside. Females are smaller than the males.

Distribution

caracal range map
Click for larger image

Essentially an animal of dry regions, the Caracal has a wide habitat tolerance and is widely distributed. They are found in woodlands, savannahs and acacia scrub throughout Africa; jungle scrub and deserts in India; and arid, sandy regions and steppes in Asia.

Their historical range mirrors that of the Cheetah Acinonyx jubatus and both coincide with the distribution of several small desert gazelles. They are called ‘gazelle cats’ by nomads in North Africa.

Home ranges of three males in Namibia averaged 316.4 km2, and an Israeli study found ranges averaging 220.5/km2, indicating the low number of prey species in arid landscapes. In a well watered coastal protected area of South Africa, radio telemetry studies found adult male home ranges to be 31-65/km2, with those of females’ being  4- 31/km2. Males have a home range that overlaps those of several females.

Ecology

As a desert animal, they can survive long periods without drinking. During the hot hours of the day, they rest in crevices, and hunt mainly in the cooler morning, night and evening hours. Their gait is similar to that of the Cheetah, but they are not sprinters, and take to the trees if pursued by dogs. Although they can be considered the fastest cat of their size, their hunting technique is the stalk and spring method like that of the domestic cat.

Caracals are remarkable jumpers, and can jump up to 3 meters (10 feet) into the air to knock flushed birds down with their paw. Ten to a dozen pigeons at one time can be taken this way, and the Caracal was once tamed and trained for bird hunting in India and Iran. This is the origination of the expression ‘to put a cat amongst the pigeons’. They were put in an arena containing a flock of pigeons, and wagers were made to see how many they would take down. They were also used to hunt antelope, hares, and foxes, much like the Cheetah.

A kill is often dragged into dense cover where it can be eaten without disturbance. Large prey animals are covered with grass after the initial feeding, to be consumed later. New grass or fruit is also sometimes eaten, probably for the moisture content.

Like most species of cat, the Caracal is predominantly nocturnal, travelling up to 20 km per night in search of food. Sleeping is done in burrows, rock crevices or thick bush, sometimes in trees. Vocalizations are few, mainly growls and spits in anger, and a loud barking sound used to call their partners. As with other desert animals, their sight and hearing are very good and they have a moderate sense of smell.

Reproduction

Caracals are solitary animals, and come together only for mating. In the eastern Transvaal of Southern Africa, the peak birth time for Caracal kittens is July and August. After a 78 – 81 day gestation, one to six kittens weighing 198 – 250 grams are born in a burrow, crevice, or dense patch of brush lined with fur and feathers. Newborns are darker and greyer than the adults, with reddish belly spots that fade as they age. The kittens can open their eyes on the first day of life, but they are not completely open for six to 10 days. When they are about three weeks old, the mother takes them from the birth burrow to another location, and continues to move the family on a regular basis. At four to five weeks of age the young are very active and make a chirping, birdlike vocalization. They are weaned at about ten weeks, and remain with their mother for up to a year. Sexual maturity is reached around 12 – 16 months.

Conservation

The actual number of Caracal in the wild is unknown. They are considered rare or threatened in Asia and North Africa. In central and southern Africa they are considered widespread and hunted as a poultry raiders or shot on sight wherever they are found. Poisoned carcasses which kill a variety of carnivores are also put out by ranchers to kill predators.

Between 1931-1952, an average of 2,219 Caracals per year were killed in South Africa during predator control operations. Namibian farmers responding to a government questionnaire reported killing up to 2,800 Caracals in 1981.

A study in the United Arab Emirates found 11 of 12 Caracal scats contained domestic goats or sheep, as natural prey numbers were low or absent. In a protected area of Iran, cape hare and rodents made up the bulk of the Caracal diet, and there was no predation on livestock reported. As well, no livestock remains were found in 200 scats in a South African park where wild prey was abundant.

Caracals are most numerous in South Africa and Namibia, where their range is expanding, possibly due to extirpation of black-backed jackals by farmers. An additional threat is severe habitat loss. As people move further into their territory, their prey species are driven out and persecution increases.

Range map IUCN Red List

Updated 2014

 

The Cats For Africa webpage has a wonderful selection of Caracal videos, all well worth watching!

 

22 Responses

  1. Pat Bumstead

    Unfortunately we are not aware of anyone studying wild caracals in Morocco, so cannot advise where to report your sightings. The World Conservation Union considers them rare in North Africa, but Morocco may have their own listing, and may be interested in reports of their presence. The best way to conserve the caracal – and any wild cat for that matter – is to ensure they have adequate safe habitat and enough prey animals to hunt.

  2. Caroline Keppel-Palmer

    Hello. Thanks for this information. I have spotted caracals on two occasions close to our house in the Atlas Mountains in Morocco. I note from your description that they are considered rare in North Africa. Is there anything we should be doing to help protect and conserve them? Thank you.

  3. Pat Bumstead

    We tried to reply to you directly regarding your comment, but the email came back as ‘not found.’ Our reply is below in case other people have similar instances with small wild cats.

    One of our directors has researched your property on Google Earth. It seems that the golf resort is blocked on the west side by the Atlantic Ocean, and situated between two wildlife conservation areas north and south and open semi-agricultural areas east. The fauna and flora within Wildlife conservation areas are generally protected; this being the very reason for their existence.

    Relocation of a particular caracal is problematic. Caracals are extremely athletic, males have an extensive range and as nature abhors a vacuum. Even if relocation were successful another caracal would soon fill the spot. Those conservation areas and open country pretty much guarantee it.

    While the fence will help keep some predators e.g. jackals away it won’t stop anything coming in through the entrance roads. Even if those gates are closed it won’t stop a caracal if there is a food attraction like domestic cats inside. Caracals are the kings of vertical jumping and can easily jump 3 meters/ 10 feet.

    We are confused by reports of dead cats with bite marks that are thought to be those of a caracal. Who identified the predator, and how did they establish what it was? Any wild predator hunting prey will eat it – if only because if they don’t then something else will come along and finish it off for them. A dead cat uneaten seems more likely the victim of a domestic or feral dog attack.

    There has never been a recorded instance of caracals attacking humans. You stated you ‘don’t know enough about this animal to predict its behavior’. We suggest you contact the Urban Caracal Project’s Laurel Klein Serieys, Ph.D for local knowledge and advice. You might also contact the Cape Nature Authority.

    You moved into their territory, where they’ve been living for thousands of years. By leaving your cats out at night you are providing a very handy food source for any predator. Remove the food source – keep your cats and small dogs in at night – and both the people and the predators can live in harmony.

  4. Vivian

    Good day
    We live on a Fenced Golf Estate on the West Coast of Africa, near Cape Town.
    We have lost 2 cats in the last 4 years. To date more than 85 cats have gone missing and most of them were found in what we call the cat graveyard. I a couple of cases, 2 cats at a time. All in a greenbelt located fairly close to my house. It was then established that the teeth marks on the victims were those of a Caracal. Now spotted many times as it seems to come closer and closer to our properties the Caracal / Caracals will even hunt when they can be seen or entering properties. Obviously everybody is trying to keep their cats inside, so we assume the Caracals are getting more and more aggressive.
    We have requested for the local Nature Conservation to relocate them as we are scared that small children might be attacked by them. We simply don’t know enough about this wild animal to predict its behaviour for sure.
    They have however notified us that we are an Eco-Estate, which most of us were never told. Most of us believe that the management is keeping the Caracals here to keep Cats indoors. This is leading to a lot of unhappiness and a definite divide in our community.
    We have made several suggestions of creating a better barrier between us and the bush just outside the fence and also to come up with other deterrents. No action has been taken.
    What are we to do as a community with cats and small dogs as dear pets?

  5. Pat Bumstead

    Most provinces have laws prohibiting the ownership of exotic animals, including the Caracal. They are wild cats not pets.

  6. Tania

    Est-ce que vous avons le droit au Caracals comme chats domestique au Canada ?

  7. Kayla Cortinas

    Thank You Pat you helped me a lot today!

  8. Pat Bumstead

    Caracals are not endangered. They are one of the most common wild cats throughout Africa, and are classed as Least Concern.

  9. Ron

    Caracals may be almost gone in the wild in Turkey, but they remain abundant worldwide. They are also actively bred as pets in many places, and adapt well to a domestic environment. Despite squawking by misguided “activists” and those who repeat their dogma, this is one of a few species of wild cat which can be very tame when properly socialized.

  10. Pat Bumstead

    No one has any idea how many caracals there are. Their population is thought to be very large, but it would be impossible to count every caracal in Africa and India!

  11. Rebekah

    How many caracals are left in the whole world

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