A caracal is what type of animal?
Caracal However, the cat is so secretive and difficult to observe that its activity at daytime might easily go unnoticed. A study in South Africa showed that caracals are most active when air temperature drops below ; activity typically ceases at higher temperatures. A solitary cat, the caracal mainly occurs alone or in pairs; the only groups seen are of mothers with their offspring. Females in oestrus temporarily pair with males. A territorial animal, the caracal marks rocks and vegetation in its territory with urine and probably with dung, which is not covered with soil. Claw scratching is prominent, and dung
Caracal Juveniles leave their mothers at nine to ten months, though a few females stay back with their mothers. The average lifespan of the caracal in captivity is nearly 16 years. Caracals have been tamed and used for hunting since the time of ancient Egypt. The caracal was first described by German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber as "Felis caracal" in 1776. In 1843, British zoologist John Edward Gray placed it in the genus "Caracal". It is placed in the family Felidae and subfamily Felinae. In the 19th and 20th centuries, several caracal specimens were described and proposed as subspecies.