Living Beings

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    Source-identified Caracal caracal; documentary image

    Caracal

    Caracal caracal

    Source-identified Caracal auratus; documentary image

    African Golden Cat

    Caracal auratus

    Caracal caracal 289309438.jpg · Resized and converted to WebP for display. Dirk Froebel · CC BY 4.0

    Evidence from the profiles

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    TraitCaracalAfrican Golden Cat
    Physical traitsLong black ear tufts stand above a mostly plain reddish or sandy coat. The underside is paler.The body is robust and the coat varies between reddish and grayish forms. Spotting can be more visible on some parts of the body.
    Habitat and rangeWoodland edges, scrub, plains and rocky terrain can provide suitable cover. It is not confined to a single vegetation type.Dense African forest and secondary growth provide cover and hunting habitat.
    Diet and nutritionSmall mammals and birds are important foods; the range of prey reflects local availability.Rodents and other forest mammals are important prey. Birds and additional small animals may also be taken.
    Behavior and activityAdults generally maintain separate ranges outside mating and the rearing of young. Scent marking helps communicate occupancy.It is generally solitary and difficult to observe in dense cover. Sparse observations should not be treated as a complete account of its daily behavior.
    Geographic distributionThe Mammal Diversity Database v2.5 records this species in Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Libya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Uganda, United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Burundi?.The Mammal Diversity Database v2.5 records this species in Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Uganda, Benin?, Burundi?, Gambia?, Guinea-Bissau?, Kenya?, Rwanda?, Senegal?, Sudan?, Togo?.

    Classification

    Shared ancestry

    Closest shared taxon: Caracal.

    1. LifeLife
    2. DomainEukaryota
    3. KingdomAnimalia
    4. PhylumChordata
    5. ClassMammalia
    6. OrderCarnivora
    7. FamilyFelidae
    8. GenusCaracal
    speciesCaracal caracal
    speciesCaracal auratus
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    Sources from both profiles

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