Caracal

The caracal (Caracal caracal) /ˈkærəkæl/ is a medium-sized wild cat that is around one metre (3.3 ft) long. The caracal is sometimes called the desert lynx, African lynx, or Persian lynx, but it is not a member of the Lynx genus. The caracal is native to Africa, Central Asia, Southwest Asia and India. The cat's name comes from the Turkish word "karakulak", which means "black ear".

Appearance

The most distinctive feature of the caracal is the long black tufts on the back of the ears roughly 4.4 centimetres (1.75 in) long. The caracal is often referred to as the desert lynx, although these black tufts are the only characteristic shared with the lynx. Its fur can range from tawny-brown to brick red. Caracals have white fur on the abdomen, chin and throat. Black lines run from the eye to the nose. Its fur coat is short and very dense. The ears are lightly colored in the front and are black in the back.

The caracal is the largest of Africa's "small cats." Males can weigh up to 18 kilograms (40 lb), and females up to 16 kilograms (35 lb). Caracals are about 40 centimetres (16 in) to 50 centimetres (20 in) tall at the shoulder. Caracals have a short tail. The male and female look the same. Its eye pupils shrink to circles, while other cats' pupils shrink to slits.

Caracal (genus)

Caracal is a genus of the subfamily Felinae, of the family Felidae. Previously it was considered to be a monotypic genus, consisting of only the type species: Caracal caracal, commonly called caracals. However, genetic analysis in 2006 has shown that caracals, African golden cats, and servals are genetically closely related, which places them in the same genus. The IUCN currently uses this classification for the African golden cat, although it's still being "under review" for the serval.

References

External links

Media related to Caracal at Wikimedia Commons

Data related to Caracal at Wikispecies

Caracal (album)

Caracal is the second studio album by English electronic music duo Disclosure. It was released on 25 September 2015 through PMR and Island. Four official singles have been released from the album: "Holding On" featuring Gregory Porter, "Omen" featuring Sam Smith, "Jaded", and "Magnets" featuring Lorde, with three promotional singles also being released: "Bang That", "Willing and Able" featuring Kwabs, and "Hourglass" featuring Lion Babe.

Singles

"Holding On", featuring American jazz musician Gregory Porter, was released as the album's lead single on 26 May. The song peaked at number 46 in the UK Singles Chart. The duo then released "Omen", featuring English singer Sam Smith, was the second single on 27 July, which later peaked at number 13 in the UK. Smith has also worked with Disclosure in the past, contributing vocals to duo's hit single "Latch", which peaked at number 11 in the UK and number 7 in the Billboard Hot 100. "Jaded" was released as the third single on 25 September. "Magnets", featuring New Zealand singer Lorde was released as the fourth single on 10 November.