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Fast Facts:

  • The Caracal is faster than most cats its size, jumps over 6 feet and can climb trees quickly.

  • The black ears have white spots called eyespots that indicate the Caracal's mood

  • In Iran and India they have been used to assist hunters.

Caracal

Scientific Name: Felis caracal
Classification: Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivoraa Family: Felidae
Status: Stable
Range: India to Africa
Habitat: Scrublands, desert steppes and savannas
Diet: Small mammals, reptiles, birds and berries
Size: Height: 1-1.5 feet
Length: 2-2.5 feet
Weight: 35-50 pounds
Lifespan: Up tp 17 yrs. in captivity.
Location:
Print Fact Sheet Caracal

Special Features:

  • Solitary
  • Caracals can kill large snakes
  • After a killing the Caracal will drag its prey up into a tree to cache.
  • Though usually silent, the Caracal will cry out like a leopard occasionally.


Social Structure & Behavior:

Reproduction:
Sexual maturity at 6-24 months. They mate throughout the year. Gestation 10-11 weeks resulting in an average litter size is 2-3 kittens. Kittens are born in abandoned aardvark or porcupine burrows. After a month, the mother moves her kittens daily to avoid predators. Young cats stay close to mother for 10 months.

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