NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Caracal

The Caracal (Caracal caracal), also called Persian Lynx or African Lynx, is a fiercely territorial medium-sized cat. The Caracal is labeled as a small cat, but is amongst the heaviest of all small cats, as well as the fastest. â€œFelineâ€ redirects here. ...

Description

Males typically weigh about 13-18 kg (28-40 lbs), while females are smaller. The Caracal resembles a Eurasian Lynx and for a long time it was considered a close relative of the lynxes. Recent DNA research, however, has shown that the Caracal is not a close relative of lynxes at all, but is instead related to the Serval and the African Golden Cat.^[3] Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Eurasian lynx range The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is a medium-sized cat native to European and Siberian forests, where it is one of the predators. ... For other uses, see Lynx (disambiguation). ... For the commune in northern France, see Serval, Aisne. ... Binomial name The African Golden Cat (Profelis aurata) is a medium-sized wild cat distributed over the rainforests of West and Central Africa. ...

The Caracal is 65 cm in length (about 2 ft), plus 30 cm tail (about 1 foot). It has longer legs and a slimmer appearance than a lynx. The colour of the fur is variable: it may be wine-red, grey or sand-coloured. Melanistic (black) Caracals also occur. Young Caracals bear reddish spots on the underside; adults do not have markings except for black spots above the eyes. This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, â€² â€“ a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... For other uses, see Fur (disambiguation). ...

The most conspicuous feature of the Caracal are its long, tufted black ears, which also explain the origin of its name – karakulak, Turkish for "black ear". Its ears are controlled by 20 different muscles to help it find its prey.

Habitat and diet

The Caracal is distributed over Africa and western Asia. Its habitat is dry steppes and semi-deserts, but also include woodlands, savanna, and scrub forest. It is a solitary, or paired, territorial cat. The Caracal may survive without drinking for a long period — the water demand is satisfied with the body fluids of its prey. A zebra and wildebeests during migration The Serengeti ecosystem is located in north-western Tanzania and extends to south-western Kenya between latitudes 1 and 3 S and longitudes 34 and 36 E. It spans some 30,000 km. ... A world map showing the continent of Africa Africa is the worlds second-largest and second most-populous continent, after Asia. ... A map showing Southwest Asia - The term Middle East is more often used to refer to both Southwest Asia and some North African countries Southwest Asia, or West Asia, is the southwestern part of Asia. ...

It hunts at night (but in colder seasons also in the daytime) for rodents and hares; rarely it may even attack a gazelle, a small antelope or a young ostrich. It is a picky eater, and discards the internal organs of the mammals it catches, partially plucks the fur off hyraxes and larger kills, and avoids eating hair by shearing meat neatly from the skin. However, it will eat the feathers of small birds and is tolerant of rotten meat. Suborders Sciuromorpha Castorimorpha Myomorpha Anomaluromorpha Hystricomorpha Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously-growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing. ... For other uses, see Hare (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the herbivorous mammals. ... Binomial name Linnaeus, 1758 Distribution of Ostriches. ... Genera Procavia Heterohyrax Dendrohyrax A hyrax (from Greek shrewmouse; Afrikaans: klipdassie) is any of four species of fairly small, thickset, herbivorous mammals in the order Hyracoidea. ...

It is most well-known for its skill with hunting birds; the Caracal is able to snatch a bird in flight, sometimes more than one at a time. The Caracal can jump and climb exceptionally well, which enables it to catch hyraxes better than probably any other carnivore. Its life expectancy in the wild is 12 years, or 17 years in captivity. Since it is also surprisingly easy to tame, it has been used as a hunting cat in Iran and India.

Conservation

Because it is so easily tamed, the Caracal is sometimes kept as a pet, and is said to adapt easily to living with humans. It is often viewed as vermin by farmers in Africa because it frequently climbs over fences to eat chickens and other poultry. Look up vermin in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Ducks amongst other poultry The Poultry-dealer, after Cesare Vecellio Poultry is the category of domesticated birds kept for meat, eggs, and feathers. ...

The Caracal is almost impossible to see in the wild, not because there are very few of them, but because it hides extremely well. Game drives in countries such as Kenya and Botswana widely encounter other animals, but a sighting of a Caracal is extremely rare. For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ...

Subspecies

Eastern Africa (UN subregion) East African Community Central African Federation (defunct) Geographic East Africa, including the UN subregion and East African Community East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easternmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. ... Central Africa Middle Africa (UN subregion) Central African Federation (defunct) Central Africa is a core region of the African continent often considered to include: Burundi Central African Republic Chad Democratic Republic of the Congo Rwanda Middle Africa (as used by the United Nations when categorising geographic subregions) is an analogous... Northern Africa (UN subregion) geographic, including above North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan Africa. ... The Siberian Tiger is a subspecies of tiger that are critically endangered. ... Western Africa (UN subregion) Maghreb[1] West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. ... A map showing Southwest Asia - The term Middle East is more often used to refer to both Southwest Asia and some North African countries Southwest Asia, or West Asia, is the southwestern part of Asia. ... The Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula is a mainly desert peninsula in Southwest Asia at the junction of Africa and Asia and an important part of the greater Middle East. ...

References

is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ...

External links

Image File history File links Wikispecies-logo. ... Wikispecies is a wiki-based online project supported by the Wikimedia Foundation that aims to create a comprehensive free content catalogue of all species (including animalia, plantae, fungi, bacteria, archaea, and protista). ... â€œFelineâ€ redirects here. ... Phyla Subkingdom Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subkingdom Agnotozoa Placozoa Orthonectida Rhombozoa Subkingdom Metazoa Radiata Cnidaria Ctenophora - Comb jellies Bilateria Protostomia Acoelomorpha Platyhelminthes - Flatworms Nemertina - Ribbon worms Gastrotricha Gnathostomulida - Jawed worms Micrognathozoa Rotifera - Rotifers Acanthocephala Priapulida Kinorhyncha Loricifera Entoprocta Nematoda - Roundworms Nematomorpha - Horsehair worms Cycliophora Mollusca - Mollusks Sipuncula - Peanut worms Annelida - Segmented... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders Subclass Monotremata Monotremata Subclass Marsupialia Didelphimorphia Paucituberculata Microbiotheria Dasyuromorphia Peramelemorphia Notoryctemorphia Diprotodontia Subclass Placentalia Xenarthra Dermoptera Desmostylia Scandentia Primates Rodentia Lagomorpha Insectivora Chiroptera Pholidota Carnivora Perissodactyla Artiodactyla Cetacea Afrosoricida Macroscelidea Tubulidentata Hyracoidea Proboscidea Sirenia The mammals are the class of vertebrate animals primarily characterized by the presence of mammary... Families 17, See classification The diverse order Carnivora (IPA: or ; from Latin carÅ (stem carn-) flesh, + vorÄre to devour) includes over 260 species of placental mammals. ... Families Canidae Felidae Herpestidae Hyaenidae Mephitidae Mustelidae Nandiniidae Odobenidae Pinnipedia Procyonidae Ursidae Viverridae The diverse order Carnivora includes over 260 placental mammals. ... Genera Caracal Catopuma Felis Herpailurus Leopardus Leptailurus Lynx Oncifelis Oreailurus Otocolobus Prionailurus Profelis Puma Felinae is a subfamily of the Felidae, the family which contains all true cats. ... Felis is a genus of cats in the family Felidae. ... Binomial name Milne-Edwards, 1892 The Chinese Mountain Cat (Felis bieti), also known as the Chinese Desert Cat, is a small wild cat of western China. ... Binomial name Felis catus Linnaeus, 1758 Synonyms Felis lybica invalid junior synonym The cat (or domestic cat, house cat) is a small carnivorous mammal. ... Binomial name Felis chaus Schreber, 1777 The Jungle Cat (Felis chaus), also called the Swamp Lynx (although not closely related to the lynxes), is a small cat with a rather short tail (length 70 cm, plus 30 cm tail). ... Binomial name Otocolobus manul Pallas, 1776 The Pallas Cat (Otocolobus manul, or Felis manul) or Manul is a small wild cat of Central Asia. ... Binomial name Felis nigripes Burchell, 1824 The Black-footed Cat (Felis nigripes) is a small wild cat distributed over South Africa, Namibia, Botswana and marginally into Zimbabwe. ... Binomial name Felis silvestris Schreber, 1775 subspecies See text The Wildcat (Felis silvestris), sometimes Wild Cat or Wild-cat, is a small predator native to Europe, the western part of Asia, and Africa. ... Species Prionailurus bengalensis Prionailurus planiceps Prionailurus rubiginosus Prionailurus viverrinus Prionailurus is the genus of Asian small cats, one of the groupings of wild cats. ... Binomial name Felis bengalensis (Kerr, 1792) The Leopard Cat (Felis bengalensis) is a small wild cat of Southeast Asia. ... Trinomial name Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis The Iriomote Cat (Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis, Felis bengalensis iriomotensis or Mayailurus iriomotensis; Japanese: è¥¿è¡¨å±±çŒ« Iriomote-yamaneko), is a subspecies of leopard cat that lives exclusively on the Japanese island of Iriomote. ... Binomial name Prionailurus planiceps (Vigors, 1827) The Flat-headed Cat (Prionailurus planiceps, sometimes Felis planiceps or Ictailurus planiceps) is a small wild cat of Southeast Asia. ... Binomial name Prionailurus rubiginosus (Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, 1831) The Rusty-spotted Cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus, sometimes Felis rubiginosa) is a small wild cat of southern India and Sri Lanka. ... Binomial name Prionailurus viverrinus or Felis viverrina (Bennett, 1833) The Fishing Cat (Prionailurus viverrinus or Felis viverrina) is a medium-sized cat of Asia. ... For other uses, see Cougar (disambiguation), Puma (disambiguation), or Panther. ... For other uses, see Cougar (disambiguation), Puma (disambiguation), or Panther. ... Binomial name Herpailurus yaguarondi (Lacépède, 1809) The Jaguarundi (Herpailurus yaguarondi) is a medium-sized Central and South American wild cat: length 30 inches (65 cm) with 20 inches (45 cm) of tail. ... This article is about the animal. ... This article is about the animal. ... For other uses, see Lynx (disambiguation). ... Binomial name Kerr, 1792 The Canadian Lynx (Lynx canadensis) is a North American mammal of the cat family, Felidae. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Eurasian lynx range The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is a medium-sized cat native to European and Siberian forests, where it is one of the predators. ... This article includes a list of works cited or a list of external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks in-text citations. ... For other uses, see Bobcat (disambiguation). ... Leopards are cool This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... Binomial name Leopardus braccatus The Pantanal (Leopardus braccatus) is a small feline of Brazil and northern Argentina. ... Colocolo may refer to: Colocolo (tribal chief): Araucanian tribal chief Colo-Colo: A Chilean football team Monito del Monte: A South American marsupial This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Binomial name Oncifelis geoffroyi (dOrbigny & Gervais, 1844) The Geoffroys cat is probably the most common wild cat in South America. ... Binomial name Oncifelis guigna (Molina, 1782) Kodkod The Kodkod (Oncifelis guigna), also known as Guigna, is the smallest felid in the Americas and is found only in Chile and Argentina. ... Binomial name Oreailurus jacobita Cornalia, 1865 The Andean Cat is also known as the Andean Mountain Cat. ... Binomial name (Desmarest, 1816) The Pampas Cat (Leopardus pajeros) is a small feline from the Pampas area of Argentina and Chile. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Ocelot range The Ocelot (Leopardus pardalis), also known as the Painted Leopard, McKenneys Wildcat or Manigordo (in Costa Rica), is a wild cat distributed over South and Central America and Mexico, but has been reported as far north as Texas and in Trinidad, in the... Binomial name Leopardus tigrinus (Schreber, 1775) The Little Spotted Cat (Leopardus tigrinus, sometimes Oncifelis tigrinus or Felis tigrina) is also known as Oncilla, Tigrillo or Tiger Cat. ... Binomial name (Schinz, 1821) Margay range map Synonyms Felis wiedii The Margay (Leopardus wiedii) is a spotted cat native to Central and South America. ... For the commune in northern France, see Serval, Aisne. ... For the commune in northern France, see Serval, Aisne. ... Binomial name The African Golden Cat (Profelis aurata) is a medium-sized wild cat distributed over the rainforests of West and Central Africa. ... Binomial name The African Golden Cat (Profelis aurata) is a medium-sized wild cat distributed over the rainforests of West and Central Africa. ... A golden cat is a medium-sized wild cat belonging to either the genus Catopuma or Profelis. ... Binomial name Catopuma badia Gray, 1874 The Bay Cat (Catopuma badia, other genus names in use are Felis, Profelis or Badiofelis) is also known as Bornean Cat or Bornean Bay Cat, since it is endemic to the island of Borneo. ... Binomial name Catopuma temminckii (Vigors & Horsfield, 1827) The Asian Golden Cat (Catopuma temminckii, previously been placed in genera Profelis and Felis), also called the Asiatic Golden Cat and Temmincks Golden Cat, is a medium-sized wild cat (length 90 cm, plus 50 cm tail) weighing from 12 to 16... Binomial name Pardofelis marmorata Martin, 1837 The Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata) is similar in size to the Domestic Cat, with a longer, more thickly furred tail, an indicator of an arboreal life-style, where the tail is used as a counterbalance. ... Binomial name Pardofelis marmorata Martin, 1837 The Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata) is similar in size to the Domestic Cat, with a longer, more thickly furred tail, an indicator of an arboreal life-style, where the tail is used as a counterbalance. ... Genera Neofelis Panthera Uncia Pantherinae is a sub-family of the family Felidae which include the genera Panthera, Uncia and Neofelis. ... Binomial name Neofelis nebulosa (Griffith, 1821) The Clouded Leopard, Neofelis nebulosa is a medium-sized cat, 60 to 110 cm long and weighing between 11 and 20 kg. ... Binomial name (Griffith, 1821) Range map Synonyms Felis macrocelis Felis marmota The Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) is a medium-sized cat, 55 to 110 cm (2 ft to 3 ft 6 in) long and weighing between 15 and 23 kg (33 to 50 lb). ... Binomial name Neofelis diardi (G. Cuvier, 1823) Range Synonyms Felis diardii Felis macrocelis Felis marmota Neofelis nebulosa diardi Neofelis diardi is a medium-sized wild cat found on Borneo, Sumatra and the Batu Islands in the Malay Archipelago and publicised under the name Bornean Clouded Leopard by the World Wide... For other uses, see Panthera (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Lion (disambiguation). ... keels is bent and she has a big nose which she picks every day. ... This article is about the big cat. ... For other uses, see Tiger (disambiguation). ... Binomial name (Schreber, 1775) Range map Synonyms Uncia uncia The Snow Leopard (Uncia uncia), sometimes known as the ounce, is a large cat native to the mountain ranges of Central Asia from Afghanistan to Lake Baikal and eastern Tibet. ... Binomial name (Schreber, 1775) Range map Synonyms Uncia uncia The Snow Leopard (Uncia uncia), sometimes known as the ounce, is a large cat native to the mountain ranges of Central Asia from Afghanistan to Lake Baikal and eastern Tibet. ...

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