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Caracal caracal
Order: Carnivora > Family: Felidae > Genus: Caracal > Species: Caracal caracal
Type Description
Die Saugethiere, 3(16):pl. 110 [1776]; text 3(24):413, 587 [1777].
Type Locality
'Vorgebirge der guten Hofnung', restricted by J. A. Allen (1924:281) to 'Table Mountain, near Cape Town, South Africa'.
Measurements
Head and body: 600-915 mm
Tail length: 230-310 mm
Weight: 14.5-19 kg
Tail length: 230-310 mm
Weight: 14.5-19 kg
Description
The caracal is recognizable by the black tufts on the tips of the ears that may be signals to other caracals.
Distribution
Found in the arid or semi-arid habitats from steppes, savannas, and bushland to rocky hills, woodlands, and thickets, Caracal caracal is distributed throughout most of Africa south of the Sahara except in the forested areas of central Africa and in the far north along the coastline from Morocco to western Egypt. (Kingdon, 1989, 1997)
Key References
1. Kingdon, J. 1989. East African mammals: An atlas of evolution in Africa. (Carnivores). University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 3A:330-339. 2. Kingdon, J. 1997. The Kingdon field guide to African mammals, AP Natural World Academic Press, Harcourt Brace & Company, San Diego, p. 280-281.
3. Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World. Sixth ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1:793-800, 810-811.
4. Swynnerton, G. H., and R. W. Hayman. 1951. A checklist of the land mammals of the Tanganyika Territory and the Zanzibar Protectorate. Journal of the East African Natural History Society, 20(6):274-392.
3. Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World. Sixth ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1:793-800, 810-811.
4. Swynnerton, G. H., and R. W. Hayman. 1951. A checklist of the land mammals of the Tanganyika Territory and the Zanzibar Protectorate. Journal of the East African Natural History Society, 20(6):274-392.