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Caracal (Caracal caracal)


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Classification
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Felinae
Genus: Caracal

Other names
Afrikaans: Rooikat
French: Caracal
German: Karakal
Dutch: Caracal
Portuguese: Caracal

The Caracal is a medium-sized cat. Caracals are labeled as small cats, but are the heaviest of all small cats, as well as the fastest. The Caracal resembles a lynx and for a long time it was considered a close relative of the lynxes. It is in fact related to the Serval. The Caracal is 65 cm in length (about 2 ft), plus 30 cm tail (about 1 foot). The colour of the fur is variable: it may be wine-red, grey or sand-coloured. Melanistic (black) caracals also occur. The most conspicuous feature of the caracal are its long, tufted black ears, which also explain the origin of its name—"karakulak", Turkish for "black ear". Their ears are controlled by 20 different muscles, to help them find their prey. The tufts of fur help pinpoint their prey.

Habitat
Caracals are distributed over Africa and West Asia. Their habitat is dry steppes and semi-deserts, but also include woodlands, savanna, and scrub forest. They are solitary, or paired, territorial cats. A caracal may survive without drinking for a long period—the water demand is satisified with the body fluids of the prey. It hunts at night (but in colder seasons also in the daytime) for rodents and hares; rarely it may even attack a gazelle, a small antelope or a young ostrich. They are most well-known for their skill with hunting birds; a caracal is able to snatch a bird in flight, sometimes more than one at a time. Caracals can jump and climb exceptionally well, which enables them to catch hyraxes better than probably any other carnivore.

Reproduction
Sexual maturity occurs at about 20 months. Gestation is 70 - 78 days and between 1 to 4 young are born.

Conservation status
Lower risk

source: Wikipedia

Just interested in which parks to head to, in near future to see them, interested in peoples recent personal sightings.

Dont bombard with any old research studies (seen them all), just keen on knowing of personal accounts from people based at certain parks & them having visited.

Cool,

J

As you'll know WJ, caracal are nocturnal and hence difficult to see anywhere, however they are not infrequently picked up on night drives in Kruger.

I've had two daytime sightings in the last couple of years. One on the drive from Orpen to Talamati and another on the Shawu plains east of Mopani.

There used to be a semi-tame one at Augrabies rest camp, but I think she's gone now. Marakele, Golden Gate and Mountain Zebra are other venues where they are regularly reported and I'd imagine Mapungubwe too.

Hi WJ,

I am visiting Kruger now for several years and we stay most of the time 4-6 weeks, but I have only seen a caracal once.
If I remember well it was in the northern part of Kruger, I think it was north of Shingwedzi.

Ruud

I know we've seen one on a night drive from Satara - I can't remember if I've seen any others in Kruger over the years though, sorry.

I have only seen caracal once. That was in 96 on a night drive from Mopani. It was just before the gate.

Hi all,

Yes, they are a current threat to Karoo farmers' sheep. It will be very difficult to change the engrained attitudes of the old guard of Karoo farmers to not persecute them. I hear that bbjackal are actually worse, and caracal are only really a problem in proximity to hills and mountains. There are various strategies employed to reduce caracal predation - a) penning lams during the critical lambing season - farmers complain that it is hard work though ? I think laziness, b) sending larger more aggressive sheep/goat ('hamels') into mountain veld to oppose caracals and all and sundry. I know Anatolian sheep dogs are good to protect livestock from large predators - that can be employed I suppose. Know of one farmer in Karoo who catches them on a continual basis and relocates them elsewhere, and he reckons it has reduced his caracal population density and lamb predation incidences. It is very time consuming though, and labour intensive, though he doesn't mind doing it, as he likes them.

Best place to see caracal in W Cape (the province as whole I mean) would be Karoo Nat. Park - must book onto a night drive. I saw twice one evening though wasn't an official tourist one.

Cape Point reserve might also be good. Just keep driving roads at good times (late & early) and hope to bump into them. I would love to see more photos of them in wild - probably only seen about 4 that I know are in the wild. Many of the famous big photographers (no names to be mentioned)have wonderful pictures of them, though they are actually tame ones that wander a bit to the edge of a camp/homestead so that they actually look like they are in the wild...Now theres a challenge for you guys/girls, knights and angels or whatever..

Good luck
regards,

w

I have seen caracal twice in my life, both times fairly near to Pretoriuskop. But they disappear withing moments of being spotted - some natural aversion to cameras? Last year we spotted one near the new Phambeni gate, sunning on a rock fairly near the road, with beautiful colouring. It was probably at about 7 in the morning. My big aim now is to see serval!

yo yo!

Only had the one sighting of caracal in the last 16 years of krugering - like bushbabe, it was near pret'kop. About half way between afsaal picnic spot, the beautiful cat wandered from the left of the road across in front of us, stood for a moment in the bushes to the right, turned his head toward us, allowing the most beautiful view of the colouration and ear tufts. If I had tried to grab my camera I would have missed probably my best sighting of all time (I've been dieing to see a caracal since I ever saw a pic of one when I was younger!)...sometimes cameras are left unused! The emotional memory can be more rewarding than the paper (or electronic) memory produced by a camera.

...and bushbabe, wanna see Serval - head to Satara, stay for a while and be first out of the camp and last in (and fit a few night drives in between all that). In my view, the best chance...

I had my one & only Caracal sighting on the H3 near Afsaal, it was around midday & it was lazing around on a rock, it was so frightened from the car it darted off before we could photograph it.

Had my 1st sighting of Caracal in the KNP on the S36 at 7h45 the morning. Thou brief it was very special.

A good photo was posted in the Gallery, you can find it here.

Spotted on just north of Letaba in the late afternoon it remained close to the road for approx 15 minutes. Got some good shots. Beautiful creature

A friend was mountain biking in the Tokai area of the Table Mountain National Park recently when something shot across the path in front of him. When he got level with it, it had stopped and turned to look at him 3 metres away.

It was a huge male CARACAL

It turned and ran into the fynbos.

Wildjohn wrote:

This caracal was seen in Kgalagadi in June last year neer Rooiputs. We were thrilled to it,unfortunately as soon as we stopped, he took one look at us and moved on You will need to open the pic as the download is small




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