Caracal facts: aka the desert lynx | Animal Fact Files

Caracals are also known as the desert lynx for their iconic ear tufts. These wild cats live mostly throughout Africa but can also be found in scattered populations in Asia, mostly in India. Caracals are exceptional jumpers and will leap into the air in order to grab birds in flight or resting in trees. Caracals have been trained by humans, like cheetahs, to assist in capture of prey. These iconic animals are sometimes considered pests and killed for consumption of livestock, but generally these cats are elusive and rarely seen in the wild. They spend most of the day resting under vegetation to sat cool and venture out at night to hunt.

Scientific Name: Caracal caracal
Range: African and fragmented parts of Asia
Size: on average, both sexes stand about 18 inches (46cm)
female - 13-35 pounds (6-16kg)
male - 18 to 44 pounds (8-20kg)
Diet: ground squirrels, impala, ostriches, as well as flying birds
Lifespan: 10+ years in the wild

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Image and Video Credits:
Firtids Tur - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veyyBVg-vFM
Zoospensefull - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6qOjDooxuD4
wombatq - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qDmCR6CFLE
Grandma Strawberry - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp4Enr9fdUY


Martinus Scriblerus - https://flickr.com/photos/srudy/40104587561 ; https://flickr.com/photos/srudy/27177969030
Paul Baker - https://flickr.com/photos/prb10111/4478093691
Derek Keats - https://flickr.com/photos/dkeats/36173878220
Airwolfhound - https://flickr.com/photos/24874528@N04/48851452021


BhagyaMani - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Caracal_distribution.jpg


Benjamin152 - https://freesound.org/people/Benjamin152/sounds/445144


Research Credits:
https://academic.oup.com/mspecies/article/52/993/71/6016926
https://www.google.com/books/edition/Cats_of_Africa/qQhuqVC4bnEC
https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=552775#null
https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Caracal_caracal
https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/caracal
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0wDeh4IJito
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4e6PsA6mmI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deBhdmfsJb4