caracal

CARACAL

Size	0.45m (shoulder height)
Mass:   (male)	12-19kg
(female)	8-13kg
Lifespan	10 years
Gestation	78 days
Offspring	2 or 3 up to 4
Prey	Dassies (53%) Small antelope (up to twice its weight) hares, rabbits, rodents, monkeys, birds and reptiles.
Predators	Large carnivores, pythons

Appearance

The caracal is small and wine-red, grey or sand coloured. It is heavily built with a relatively short tail and sharp pointy ears. The tips of its ears are covered with black hairs which it uses to determine the wind direction so that it can always stay down wind from its prey. It also has unique black markings that intensify its facial expressions.
The pupils of a caracal’s eyes contract to form circles, rather than the slits found in most small cats. Caracals are the heaviest of the small cats, and can also run faster than other smaller cats. Its ears - which it uses to locate prey - are controlled by 29 different muscles. A caracal's feet has numerous stiff hairs growing between the pads that help it to walk on soft sand.

Habitat & Distribution

Open areas, especially arid bush. Uses plains, vales, rocky areas, mountains and mixed woodland.  Prefers woody areas for cover when hunting or when danger occurs. Home ranges sometimes extend up to 50 km.
They are distributed throughout Africa and the Middle East. Its chief habitat is dry steppes and semi-deserts, although it also inhabits woodlands, savannah, and scrub forest.
Its life expectancy is 12 years in the wild and 17 years in captivity. The caracal can survive without drinking for long periods, as its water demand is satisfied by the body fluids of its prey.

Behaviour

Adult caracals dwell either alone or, less commonly, in pairs. Females inhabit relatively small home ranges from 5 to 57 square km, depending on the local availability of prey. While the females actively defend their territory against other females, the males roam over much larger areas of 19 to 220 square km with considerable overlap.

Like other cats, caracals scent mark their territory. They leave their faeces in visible locations, and also mark territory by spraying urine onto bushes or logs, or raking it into the ground with their hind feet.

Caracals hunt by stalking their prey, approaching within about 5m before suddenly sprinting and leaping. They kill smaller prey with a bite to the neck, and larger animals by biting the throat and then raking with their claws.

Caracals sometimes cover their larger prey if they cannot consume the whole carcass in a single meal, and return to it later. Some have even been observed to hide carcasses in trees.

It is best known for its spectacular skill at catching birds. This agile hunter is able to snatch a bird in flight, and sometimes more than one at a time. It can jump and climb exceptionally well, which enables it to catch hyraxes better than probably any other carnivore. If no cover is available in which to conceal itself, a caracal will flatten itself against the ground and remains motionless, allowing its coat colour to act as camouflage.

The caracal is capable of taking down and killing prey species at over twice its own body weight.

Reproduction

Mating may occur at any time of the year; however, it is more likely to occur when prey is plentiful, as this stimulates estrous in females. The estrous cycle lasts two weeks, and is marked by the female spraying urine containing chemical cues advertising her receptivity to neighbouring males.
The female typically mates with several males over the course of a number of days. In some areas, males have been observed to fight aggressively for access to females. They will also remain with her for several days in order to guard against rivals.
Copulation lasts anything from 90 seconds to ten minutes.

Gestation lasts 68–81 days, and litter size ranges from one to six kittens.

References:

Research was done by Henk Labuschagne