Caracal (genus)

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Caracal
Caracal genus.png
African golden cat (C. aurata)
Caracal (C. caracal)
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Suborder: Feliformia
Family: Felidae
Subfamily: Felinae
Genus: Caracal
Gray, 1843
Type species
Caracal melanotis (= Felis caracal) [1]
Gray, 1843
Species

See text

Caracal is a genus in the subfamily Felinae of the family Felidae. It was proposed by John Edward Gray in 1843 who described a skin from the Cape of Good Hope in the collection of the Natural History Museum, London. [2] Historically, it was considered to be a monotypic genus, consisting of only the type species: the caracal C. caracal. [3]

Contents

Taxonomy

Phylogenetic analysis revealed that caracal, African golden cat (C. aurata) and serval (Leptailurus serval) are genetically closely related forming a genetic lineage that diverged from the common ancestor of the Felidae 7.91 to 4.14 million years ago. [4] This taxonomic classification is used in the IUCN Red List for the African golden cat. [5] It is used as a synonym for the serval. [6]

Genus Caracal Gray, 1843 – two species
Common nameScientific name and subspeciesRangeSize and ecologyIUCN status and estimated population
Caracal

Caracal hunting in the serengeti.jpg

Caracal caracal
(Schreber, 1776)

Three subspecies
  • Southern caracal (C. c. caracal) (Schreber, 1776)
  • Northern caracal (C. c. nubicus) (Fischer, 1829) [7]
  • Asiatic caracal (C. c. schmitzi) (Matschie, 1912)

Caracal distribution.jpg
Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 NT 


[8]


African golden cat

Caracal aurata 2.jpg

Caracal aurata
(Temminck, 1823)

Two subspecies
  • C. a. aurata (Temminck, 1827)
  • C. a. celidogaster (Temminck, 1827)

AfricanGoldenCat distribution.jpg
Size:

Habitat:

Diet:
 VU 


[5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Felis</i> Genus of mammals (cats)

Felis is a genus of small and medium-sized cat species native to most of Africa and south of 60° latitude in Europe and Asia to Indochina. The genus includes the domestic cat. The smallest of the seven Felis species is the black-footed cat with a head and body length from 38 to 42 cm. The largest is the jungle cat with a head and body length from 62 to 76 cm.

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The African golden cat is a wild cat endemic to the rainforests of West and Central Africa. It is threatened due to deforestation and bushmeat hunting and listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. It is a close relative of both the caracal and the serval. Previously, it was placed in the genus Profelis. Its body size ranges from 61 to 101 cm with a 16 to 46 cm long tail.

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The caracal is a medium-sized wild cat native to Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and arid areas of Pakistan and northwestern India. It is characterised by a robust build, long legs, a short face, long tufted ears, relatively short tail, 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 8–19 kg (18–42 lb). It was first scientifically described by German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber in 1776. Three subspecies are recognised.

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References

  1. Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Order Carnivora". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 532–628. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  2. Gray, J. E. (1843). "The Caracal". List of the specimens of Mammalia in the collection of the British Museum. London: The Trustees of the British Museum. p. 46.
  3. Wozencraft, W. C. (2005). "Genus Carcal". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 533. ISBN   978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC   62265494.
  4. Johnson, W. E.; Eizirik, E.; Pecon-Slattery, J.; Murphy, W.J.; Antunes, A.; Teeling, E.; O'Brien, S.J. (2006). "The Late Miocene Radiation of Modern Felidae: A Genetic Assessment". Science. 311 (5757): 73–7. Bibcode:2006Sci...311...73J. doi:10.1126/science.1122277. PMID   16400146. S2CID   41672825.
  5. 1 2 Bahaa-el-din, L.; Mills, D.; Hunter, L. & Henschel, P. (2015). "Caracal aurata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T18306A50663128.
  6. Thiel, C. (2015). "Leptailurus serval". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2015: e.T11638A50654625. Retrieved 29 October 2018.
  7. Fischer, J. B. (1829). "F. caracal Schreb.". Synopsis Mammalium. Stuttgart: J. G. Cottae. p. 210.
  8. Avgan, B.; Henschel, P. & Ghoddousi, A. (2016) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Caracal caracal". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2016: e.T3847A102424310. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T3847A50650230.en . Retrieved 15 January 2022.