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

Field guide · species

Caracal

Caracal caracal

The caracal is a solitary hunter of wooded, scrubby and open landscapes. It is often recognized by its ear tufts, but its ecological flexibility is just as important as this conspicuous feature.

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Tree of lifeScientific lineage

Advanced classification

Complete source lineage, including intermediate ranks. The standard view uses Life and the eight principal ranks.

cellular organisms cellular root
Eukaryota domain
Opisthokonta clade
Metazoa kingdom
Eumetazoa clade
Bilateria clade
Deuterostomia clade
Chordata phylum
Craniata subphylum
Vertebrata clade
Gnathostomata clade
Teleostomi clade
Euteleostomi clade
Sarcopterygii superclass
Dipnotetrapodomorpha clade
Tetrapoda clade
Amniota clade
Mammalia class
Theria clade
Eutheria clade
Boreoeutheria clade
Laurasiatheria superorder
Carnivora order
Feliformia suborder
Felidae family
Felinae subfamily
Caracal genus
Caracal caracal species

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Physical traits

Long black ear tufts stand above a mostly plain reddish or sandy coat. The underside is paler.

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Habitat and range

Woodland edges, scrub, plains and rocky terrain can provide suitable cover. It is not confined to a single vegetation type.

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Diet and nutrition

Small mammals and birds are important foods; the range of prey reflects local availability.

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Behavior and activity

Adults generally maintain separate ranges outside mating and the rearing of young. Scent marking helps communicate occupancy.

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Geographic distribution

The 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?.

Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗