Species comparison
Caracal vs African Golden Cat
A side-by-side look at Caracal caracal and Caracal aurata across body measurements, habitat, diet, behaviour and conservation status.
At a glance
- The caracal averages about 1.2 times the body mass of the african golden cat.
- Both species use montane forest.
- Their ranges both include Africa.
- Red List categories differ: Caracal is listed as Least Concern, African Golden Cat as Vulnerable.
Identification
How each species is named and classified.
Caracal
Caracal caracal
African Golden Cat
Caracal aurata
Caracal
Caracal
African Golden Cat
Caracal
Caracal
Caracal lineage
African Golden Cat
Caracal lineage
Caracal
Medium-sized cats
African Golden Cat
Medium-sized cats
Caracal
Desert lynx, Persian lynx
African Golden Cat
Golden cat
Body and movement
Published field measurements for adults. Ranges cover both sexes unless noted.
Caracal
2 ft – 3 ft (62–91 cm)
African Golden Cat
2 ft – 3 ft 4 in (61–101 cm) Longer
Caracal
7 in – 13 in (18–34 cm)
African Golden Cat
6 in – 18 in (16–46 cm) Longer
Caracal
16 in – 20 in (40–50 cm)
African Golden Cat
15 in – 22 in (38–55 cm) Taller
Caracal
15–42 lb (7–19 kg) Heavier
Males average noticeably heavier than females across the range.
African Golden Cat
12–35 lb (5.5–16 kg)
Based on a small number of measured specimens.
Caracal
50 mph (80 km/h)
Short sprints over open ground; the species is better known for vertical leaping than for sustained speed.
African Golden Cat
Not reliably measured
No field measurement exists.
Life span
Typical adult longevity. Figures for managed care come from zoo and sanctuary records.
Caracal
10–12 years
African Golden Cat
10–12 years
Caracal
16–19 years Longer
African Golden Cat
12–15 years
Habitat and range
Where each species lives and the conditions it tolerates.
Caracal
semi-arid scrub, savanna, dry forest, desert, montane forest
Dry woodland, scrub, semi-desert and rocky hills; caracals avoid true desert interiors and dense equatorial rainforest but do well on farmland margins.
African Golden Cat
tropical rainforest, montane forest
Moist tropical forest, bamboo zones and montane forest up to about 11,500 feet; the species is strongly associated with dense, undisturbed canopy.
Caracal
Africa, Asia
Widespread across Africa outside the Sahara core and Congo rainforest, and through the Arabian Peninsula, the Middle East, Central Asia and into north-western India.
African Golden Cat
Africa
The rainforest belt of West and Central Africa, from Senegal and Guinea east through the Congo Basin to western Kenya and Uganda.
Diet and behaviour
Feeding ecology, social organisation and hunting technique.
Caracal
small mammals, birds, hares, medium ungulates
Hyrax, hares, rodents and gamebirds form the bulk of the diet, with small antelope taken by larger individuals.
African Golden Cat
small mammals, birds, primates, medium ungulates
Rodents, tree hyrax, duikers, monkeys and forest birds; there are documented cases of golden cats following monkey groups to catch animals disturbed from the canopy.
Caracal
Solitary and territorial
Adults hold large ranges and are rarely seen; they are among the most successful cats at persisting in farmed landscapes, which brings them into conflict with sheep farmers.
African Golden Cat
Solitary
Extremely secretive; density estimates rely almost entirely on camera-trap arrays, and even experienced field teams rarely see the animal directly.
Caracal
Nocturnal
Almost entirely night active where persecuted; more crepuscular activity is recorded inside protected areas.
African Golden Cat
Cathemeral
Camera-trap records show activity spread across day and night, with local variation that may reflect prey and disturbance.
Caracal
Stalk and vertical leap
The caracal creeps close, then launches; birds flushing from cover are struck in mid-air, sometimes several feet above the ground.
African Golden Cat
Ground stalk in dense forest
Hunts mainly on the forest floor, ambushing rodents and small ungulates in thick undergrowth.
Caracal
Strong
Climbs well and will cache food in trees, though it hunts on the ground.
African Golden Cat
Strong
Capable in trees and recorded hunting hyrax in the canopy, though most hunting is terrestrial.
Caracal
Limited
Occupies dry country and rarely encounters, or enters, deep water.
African Golden Cat
Limited
No substantial record of swimming behaviour.
Conservation
Red List category, population direction and the pressures documented for each species.
Caracal
LC — Least Concern
Assessed 2016
African Golden Cat
VU — Vulnerable
Assessed 2015
Caracal
Stable
African Golden Cat
Decreasing
Caracal
Killing in response to livestock losses, Habitat conversion in Asia, Road mortality near cities, Trade as exotic pets, Depletion of small-mammal prey
Widespread and reasonably secure in Africa; populations in Central Asia and North Africa are much smaller and are considered at risk locally.
African Golden Cat
Deforestation and logging, Bushmeat snaring, Prey depletion, Mining expansion, Very limited baseline data
Rainforest loss and the commercial bushmeat trade are the main pressures. The cat is caught in snares set for other animals and is also taken deliberately in some regions.
Notable traits
Details that do not fit neatly into a measurement table.
Caracal
- The name derives from a Turkish word meaning "black ear".
- Caracals were historically trained in Persia and India to hunt birds, a practice recorded for centuries.
- Urban caracals on the Cape Peninsula in South Africa are the subject of a long-running research programme.
African Golden Cat
- Colour morphs vary so widely that early naturalists described several separate species.
- It is the only forest-dwelling member of the caracal lineage.
- Much of what is known about its diet comes from analysis of scats collected on forest trails.
Sources used for this comparison
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Global assessment categories, population trends and documented threats.
- IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group Species accounts, distribution notes and Cat News reporting for every wild felid.
- Panthera Field research programmes and species profiles for big and small wild cats.
- Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation Dedicated research and field reporting on the lesser-known felids.
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Reviewed species accounts with morphometric ranges and reproductive data.
- Wildlife Conservation Society Field programmes, camera-trap surveys and population monitoring.