Caracal (Caracal caracal) | Archive Wildlife Footage

A rare sighting of a relaxed caracal (Caracal caracal) in the long grass. Only a few seconds of this archive footage has been posted before. Caracal are usually quite shy and seldom seen in the Sabi Sand.
The caracal /ˈkærəkæl/ (Caracal caracal) is a medium-sized wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and India. It is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long tufted ears, and long canine teeth. Its coat is uniformly reddish tan or sandy, while the ventral parts are lighter with small reddish markings. It reaches 40–50 cm (16–20 in) at the shoulder and weighs 8–18 kg (18–40 lb). It was first scientifically described by German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber in 1776. Three subspecies are recognised since 2017.
Caracal
Caracl (01), Paris, décembre 2013.jpg
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Felinae
Genus: Caracal
Species: C. caracal
Binomial name
Caracal caracal
(Schreber, 1776)
Subspecies
See text
Caracal distribution.png
Caracal distribution
Synonyms[2]
List[show]
The caracal /ˈkærəkæl/ (Caracal caracal) is a medium-sized wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and India. It is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long tufted ears, and long canine teeth. Its coat is uniformly reddish tan or sandy, while the ventral parts are lighter with small reddish markings. It reaches 40–50 cm (16–20 in) at the shoulder and weighs 8–18 kg (18–40 lb).
The caracal was first described by German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber as Felis caracal in 1776. In 1843, British zoologist John Edward Gray placed it in the genus Caracal. It is placed in the family Felidae and subfamily Felinae.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, several caracal specimens were described and proposed as subspecies. Since 2017, three subspecies are recognised as valid:
Southern caracal (C. c. caracal) (Schreber, 1776) – occurs in Southern and East Africa
Northern caracal (C. c. nubicus) (Fischer, 1829) – occurs in North and West Africa
Asiatic caracal (C. c. schmitzi) (Matschie, 1912) – occurs in Asia
Typically nocturnal, the caracal is highly secretive and difficult to observe. It is territorial, and lives mainly alone or in pairs. The caracal is a carnivore that typically preys upon small mammals, birds, and rodents. It can leap higher than 3 m (9.8 ft) and catch birds in midair. It stalks its prey until it is within 5 m (16 ft) of it, after which it runs it down, the prey being killed by a bite to the throat or to the back of the neck. Breeding takes place throughout the year, with both sexes becoming sexually mature by the time they are a year old. Gestation lasts between two and three months, resulting in a litter of one to six kittens. Juveniles leave their mothers at nine to ten months, though a few females stay back with their mothers. The average lifespan of the caracal in captivity is nearly 16 years.
Filmed in the Sabi Sand Wildtuin, Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa
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