What Are Caracals?
The caracal cat is a unique feline found in parts of Africa, Central Asia, and the Middle East. Considered a medium-sized cat, the caracal weighs anywhere from 18-42 pounds and reaches a shoulder height of no more than 20 inches. It is considered to have a “robust,” or stocky build, with a thick body, long legs, and a short face. The caracal is best recognized by its long black ears with tufts of hair at the tips. They are reddish or sandy brown in color, with lighter shades on the undersides and black markings on the ears and face. Some rare caracals are even born with completely black fur, a phenomenon known as melanism.
How Do Caracals Live?
Like most cats, caracals are nocturnal and prefer to hunt at night. They are solitary and territorial animals, preferring to live and hunt alone. Most notably, females can have territories spanning 22 square miles, and males up to 85 square miles. Capable of leaping to heights of up to 10 feet, the caracal is an expert bird catcher, and was even once trained by ancient kings to catch birds for sporting events. Due to their long canines and tough dispositions, these surprisingly strong cats are even known to take down larger prey, such as antelope and impala. Unlike many of its African counterparts, the caracal is not known to drag prey to the treetops to save for later consumption. Rather, these cats eat their prey as soon as it is taken down and will leave larger prey where it lies, returning later to see if anything is left of it.
Where Do Caracals Live?
Though rarely found in North Africa, the caracal cat is widely distributed south of the Sahara Desert, predominantly in southern Africa. It prefers to live in forests, savannahs, marshy lowlands, semi deserts, and scrub forests, but they are happiest anywhere with areas that have low rainfall and covered places to hide. They can also be seen from the Arabian Peninsula to Western India, and while it is considered an animal of Least Concern in Africa, it is Critically Endangered in the Middle East and Asia, and it is prohibited in these areas to hunt caracals. However, where they are plentiful in Africa, they are known to destroy livestock, making them a regular target for farmers. Besides this, the caracal’s most common threats are agricultural destruction, hunting for the pet trade, and car accidents.
What Are Caracals Like?
While today, the caracal is rarely seen outside of zoos, it was once treated as royalty amongst ancient Egyptians, as evidenced by hieroglyphic depictions and bronze caracal statues guarding tombs. They were also commonly gifted by Chinese emperors; traded by traveling merchants for gold, silver, and silks; and trained by Indian and Persian hunters to catch wild game alongside cheetahs. The caracal has a long and storied history that continues to this day, and it’s no wonder these beautiful and elusive cats have always been popular amongst humans. When trained, caracals can be very sweet and loving – they are known cuddle bugs when they become attached to a person!
Babby Farms Caracals
At Babby Farms, our caracals are named Cleo, Chaos and Crisis. They love to bask in the sun or hide away in their favorite barrels and tree houses. When they are active, they enjoy playing with balls and ropes. Come visit them this year and see how majestic the caracal cat is!