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Caracal


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Caracal
Caracal
Caracal
Caracal
Caracal
The caracal is also commonly known as the Persian Lynx or African Lynx despite the fact that the caracal is not a lynx at all. The caracal is thought to be most closely related to the African golden cat and the serval.

The caracals name is believed to come from the Turkish word Karakulak, which means black ears. The caracal typically has 20 different muscles in the caracals ears which enables the caracal to detect prey.

The caracal is a medium sized cat however, with the caracal, its size appears to make little difference on what the caracal hunts. Scientists have found dead ostriches with caracal tooth-marks in them, meaning that the caracal is fast enough to outrun and catch an ostrich, and strong enough to overpower it and kill it.

The caracal has also been known to leap up into the air to successfully catch and kill flying birds. The caracals are excellent acrobats and can land safely.

The caracal is normally dark red, grey, or golden sand in colour and as the caracals name suggests, the caracals ears are black, with tufts. Young caracals bear reddish spots on the underbelly that disappear when they grow up.

The caracal mainly hunts rodents, birds (including ostriches), antelopes, gazelles, and rabbits. The caracal tends to avoid eating very stiff fur by neatly shearing it off with their claws, but they are tolerant of feathers.

The caracal can live up to around 12 years in the wild, with some adult caracals living to 17 years old in captivity. The caracal is found in Africa and Southwest Asia, where the caracal prefers grasslands (savannas and tropical grasslands), and deserts.

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Caracal Comments (7)

Betty the Butterfly

"The caracal will normally retreat up a tree if it feels threatened. However, if they are backed into a corner the caracal will defend itself and can be dangerous to both animals in the wild and humans."

coolio

"very interesting are they dangerous"

Lisa McDonald

"At the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park (their breeding facility) you can have a very close encounter with a cheetah, a serval, and a caracal. They are walked out on leashes and you can photograph to your heart's content! The only rule is don't touch. Even if he's sitting on your foot like the caracal did with me last time."

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Caracal Translations

Bulgarian български език
Каракал
 
Catalan Català
Caracal
 
Czech Cesky
Karakal
 
Danish Dansk
Karakal
 
German Deutsch
Karakal
 
English English
Caracal
 
Esperanto Esperanto
Karakalo (besto)
 
Spanish Español
Caracal caracal
 
Estonian Eesti
Karakal
 
Finnish Suomi
Aavikkoilves
 
French Français
Caracal
 
Hebrew עִבְרִית
קרקל
 
Hungarian Magyar
Karakál
 
Italian Italiano
Caracal caracal
 
Japanese 日本語
カラカル
 
Latin Latina
Caracal
 
Dutch Nederlands
Caracal (dier)
 
Norwegian Norsk
Karakal
 
Polish Polski
Karakal
 
Portuguese Português
Caracal
 
Romanian Româna
Caracalus caracal
 
Swedish Svenska
Ökenlo
 
Turkish Türkçe
Karakulak
 
Chinese 中文
獰貓
 

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Caracal Facts

Kingdom:
A level of classifying all living things on earth, as similar species are broken into 5 groups including plants, animals and fungi....
Animalia
Phylum:
A level of classifying animals within the animal kingdom. Phylum are further divided into subgroups called classes....
Chordata
Class:
A level of classifying animals in a phylum. Classes are then sub-divided into further groups known as orders....
Mammalia
Order:
A level used to classify animals. Classes are broken into sub-groups known as order, which are broken down further into families....
Carnivora
Family:
A level of classifying animals within an order. Orders are broken down in families and families are broken down further into smaller groups called genus....
Felidae
Genus:
A level of classifying animals within a family. Families are divided into sub-groups called genus which generally contain one or two animal species....
Caracal
Scientific Name:Caracal Caracal
Type:Mammal
Diet:Carnivore
Size (H):65cm - 90cm (2ft - 3ft)
Weight:11kg - 18kg (24lbs - 40lbs)
Top Speed:80km/h (50mph)
Life Span:12 - 15 years
Lifestyle:Solitary
Conservation Status:
The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future. Many factors are taken into account when assessing the conservation s...
Least Concern
Colour:Tan, Brown, Black
Skin Type:Fur
Favourite Food:Hares
Habitat:
The term habitat is used to describe a specific area where a particular animal lives, within an environment. Many animals have adapted to requiring specific conditions which can only be found in their natural habitat su...
Dry woodland and savannah
Average Litter Size:3
Main Prey:
When an animal is referred to prey, it means that the animal is either hunted or caught for food. Animals that are referred to as prey are generally hunted by bigger animals, although there are a number of exceptions....
Hares, Mice, Antelope
Predators:
When an animal is referred to as a predator, it means that the animal either hunts or catches other animals. Predatory animals are generally dominant within their environment and will generally hunt animals smaller than...
Human, Hyena, Lions
Distinctive Features:Long, black ear tufts and short fur

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