Page 34 - Present Day Wildlife_Float

Caracal (Caracal caracal), is a short-tailed wild cat found in the genus Caracal in the Sub-
family: Felinae a member of the family Felidae. It’s native to Africa, the Middle East, Asia, and the
dryer regions of Pakistan and India. It stands around 40 to 45 cm in height and is about – not in-
cluding its 25 cm tail – 66 to 76cm in length. With its peaked tufted lynx-like ears, it’s often re-
ferred to as the ‘desert lynx’; it is however, more closely related to the African golden cat and the
Serval.

The caracal’s stance and gait have earned it the
reputation as the most majestic animal in the cat
world. Its slender but robust body is covered with
short, dense brown to reddish tan coloured fur. How-
ever, it’s the head, with its peaked tufted ears and
black facial markings that adds to that regal look. It
has two black stripes, from the forehead to the nose
and distinctive white
patches surrounding both
the eyes and the mouth.
Even the ancient Egyp-
tians recognised this ma-
jestic quality of the Cara-
cal and had it depicted in
paintings and sculpted in
bronze statuettes. They
even had its body em-
balmed and placed in
their tombs.

This wild cat is well adapted to living in almost
all types of conditions and environments, from dry
arid scrublands or semi-desserts, to woodland areas or rugged
mountainous terrain where it’s been known to live as high as 3000
metres. However, it’s found in larger numbers in areas with ample
vegetation that it can use as the cover it needs to suit its hunting
style. Like most cats the Caracal is a silent stalker, silently creeping
up on its prey, then pouncing, catching its victim by surprise. It’s not
a fussy eater, as a carnivore it will tackle almost anything that cross-
es its path, from rodents, hares, hyraxes, and small antelopes. If the
opportunity presents itself it will tackle bigger prey like young kudu,
Reedbuck and Duiker. It’s even known to attack domestic and farm
livestock, which often brings it into conflict with local farmers who
make a point of hunting it down and killing it.

The caracal is nocturnal, meaning it comes out in the twilight
hours, and is rarely seen out in daylight. This type of lifestyle helps
keep it safe and makes it harder to be spot-
ted by large carnivorous predators like, hy-
enas and lions that prey on it. However, in
areas with large bird populations the cara-
cal will often come out during the day to
hunt birds. To this end it’s an animal well
equipped for catching birds. If spotted
stalking a bird it can dart forwards at a speed of around 50 mph catching
any bird too slow to take off. Even if the bird gets airborne, the caracal can
leap, from a running or sitting position, 4 metres into the air swatting the
bird out of the sky. This bird hunting talent has not gone unnoticed. The
South African military actively encourages the Caracal to hunt around its
airfields. In return this cat keeps the birds around the airfields at a mini-
mum, allowing the aircraft to land and take off safely.