Caracal (genus)
| Caracal | |
|---|---|
| |
| African golden cat (C. aurata) Caracal (C. caracal) | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Infraclass: | Placentalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Subfamily: | Felinae |
| Genus: | Caracal Gray, 1843 |
| Type species | |
| Caracal melanotis[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.[1]
Taxonomy
[edit]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.[3] This taxonomic classification is used in the IUCN Red List for the African golden cat.[4] It is used as a synonym for the serval.[5]
| Common name | Scientific name and subspecies | Range | Size and ecology | IUCN status and estimated population |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| African golden cat
|
C. aurata (Temminck, 1827) Two subspecies
|
Central and western Africa
|
Size: 65–90 cm (26–35 in) long, 28–35 cm (11–14 in) tail[6] Habitat: Forest[4] Diet: Rodents and squirrels, along with antelope and primates[4] |
VU
|
| Caracal
|
C. caracal (Schreber, 1776) Three subspecies
|
Most of non-Saharan Africa, Middle East, and southern Asia
|
Size: 80–100 cm (31–39 in) long, 20–34 cm (8–13 in) tail[7] Habitat: Forest, desert, grassland, shrubland, and savanna[8] Diet: Rodents, as well as antelope, birds, reptiles, and fish[8] |
LC
|
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References
[edit]- ^ a b 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ a b c d Bahaa-el-din, L.; Mills, D.; Hunter, L.; Henschel, P. (2015). "Caracal aurata". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2015 e.T18306A50663128. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2015-2.RLTS.T18306A50663128.en.
- ^ Thiel, C. (2019) [amended version of 2015 assessment]. "Leptailurus serval". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2019 e.T11638A156536762. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2019-3.RLTS.T11638A156536762.en.
- ^ "CatSG: African Golden Cat". International Union for Conservation of Nature Cat Specialist Group. Archived from the original on December 19, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ "CatSG: Caracal". International Union for Conservation of Nature Cat Specialist Group. Archived from the original on September 11, 2018. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ a b c Avgan, B.; Henschel, P.; Ghoddousi, A. (2016). "Caracal caracal". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016 e.T3847A50650230. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-2.RLTS.T3847A50650230.en.
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