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Today on Animal Fact Files we’re discussing caracals. Also known as the desert lynx for their iconic ear tufts, caracals live throughout Africa and parts of Asia and are the only cats in their range to sport those fancy, furry ears. There are a few guesses as to the reason behind the caracals ears, one suggestion is that they help keep flies at bay, another is that they help break up the caracal’s outline in tall grass, but the prevailing hypothesis behind the caracal’s long ear fur is that they use their ears to communicate with one another. Its scientific name, Caracal caracal, is a tautonym, meaning the spelling of the genus and species name is the same!

Caracals are wild cats who can survive in a variety of habitats from savannahs, scrublands, woodlands, and mountainous regions. These cats are typically nocturnal, keeping most of their movement to the coolest parts of the 24 hour cycle. They’ll use vegetation during the day to rest in shade and keep themselves hidden from predators and prey. Caracals aren’t “big cats” like tigers, lions, and leopards, so they are often referred to as “small cats.” As larger small cats, caracals don’t face many predators. Adults may fall to leopards, hyenas, and other larger predators while cubs may be taken by jackals if they can be found, thankfully caracal moms are good at hiding their babies.

Caracals may give birth year round, though births are often tied to food proliferation which can fluctuate based on their location. These cats are mostly solitary, though males and females will come together for a few days to breed. They’ll leave scent marks around their territories to let other caracals around know they’re ready to mate. Females will mate with more than one male and the males won’t stick around for the birth of the babies - which is good because male caracals have been known to kill cubs.

The mother caracal will find an abandoned aardvark or porcupine burrow, cave, or tree cavity and after a gestation period up to 80 days she’ll give birth from anywhere to 1-6 babies, usually on the smaller end of that range. They’ll remain in the den for their first few weeks of life and continue to nurse until almost 4 months old. They’ll remain with their mother for at least another 4 months but often until they’re more than a year old. Once they reach independence, they young will spread out to find their own territories and may begin breeding before their second year. In the wild, caracals average about 10 years old.

These cats are well known for their jumping ability. Caracals eat prey including small rodents like ground squirrels, larger prey like impala and ostriches, as well as flying birds which they can smack straight out the air. Caracals are able to jump up to 13 feet (4m) from the ground. Doing this, caracals can catch sleeping birds in trees or birds trying to flee in flight. These cats can also climb trees to catch prey.

Female caracals range from 13-35 pounds (6-16kg) in weight and are usually lighter than males who range from 18 to 44 pounds (8-20kg); though, on average, both sexes stand about 18 inches (46cm) at the shoulder. Like cheetahs, caracals have been trained to capture prey for humans.

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