Species comparison
Caracal vs Bobcat
A side-by-side look at Caracal caracal and Lynx rufus across body measurements, habitat, diet, behaviour and conservation status.
At a glance
- The caracal averages about 1.2 times the body mass of the bobcat.
- The caracal has the higher recorded top speed, at 50 mph (80 km/h).
- Both species use semi-arid scrub and desert.
- Their ranges do not overlap: Caracal lives in Africa and Asia, Bobcat in North America.
- Both are currently listed as Least Concern on the Red List.
Identification
How each species is named and classified.
Caracal
Caracal caracal
Bobcat
Lynx rufus
Caracal
Caracal
Bobcat
Lynx
Caracal
Caracal lineage
Bobcat
Lynx lineage
Caracal
Medium-sized cats
Bobcat
Medium-sized cats
Caracal
Desert lynx, Persian lynx
Bobcat
Bay lynx, Wildcat
Body and movement
Published field measurements for adults. Ranges cover both sexes unless noted.
Caracal
2 ft – 3 ft (62–91 cm)
Bobcat
19 in – 4 ft 1 in (47–125 cm) Longer
Caracal
7 in – 13 in (18–34 cm) Longer
Bobcat
4 in – 8 in (9–20 cm)
Caracal
16 in – 20 in (40–50 cm)
Bobcat
12 in – 24 in (30–60 cm)
Caracal
15–42 lb (7–19 kg) Heavier
Males average noticeably heavier than females across the range.
Bobcat
8.8–40 lb (4–18 kg)
Typical males 7–14 kg; northern animals are consistently larger than southern ones.
Caracal
50 mph (80 km/h) Faster
Short sprints over open ground; the species is better known for vertical leaping than for sustained speed.
Bobcat
30 mph (48 km/h)
Short bursts; bobcats are stalkers rather than pursuers.
Life span
Typical adult longevity. Figures for managed care come from zoo and sanctuary records.
Caracal
10–12 years Longer
Bobcat
7–12 years
Caracal
16–19 years
Bobcat
20–25 years Longer
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.
Bobcat
temperate forest, semi-arid scrub, desert, wetland, agricultural mosaic, montane forest
Almost anything with cover: chaparral, hardwood and conifer forest, swamp, desert canyon, sagebrush and the wooded margins of towns and cities.
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.
Bobcat
North America
From southern Canada through most of the contiguous United States to central Mexico, with the highest densities in the south-east and south-west.
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.
Bobcat
hares, small mammals, birds, reptiles, medium ungulates
Cottontail rabbits and rodents form the core; bobcats also take birds, lizards and, in northern winters, deer weakened by snow.
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.
Bobcat
Solitary and territorial
Males hold ranges overlapping several females, marking with scrapes, urine and faeces at trail junctions.
Caracal
Nocturnal
Almost entirely night active where persecuted; more crepuscular activity is recorded inside protected areas.
Bobcat
Crepuscular
Activity peaks around dawn and dusk, extending into the night near human settlement.
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.
Bobcat
Stalk and pounce
A bobcat freezes, creeps to within a few feet, then covers the last distance in one or two bounds.
Caracal
Strong
Climbs well and will cache food in trees, though it hunts on the ground.
Bobcat
Strong
Climbs easily, resting on branches and using trees to escape dogs and coyotes.
Caracal
Limited
Occupies dry country and rarely encounters, or enters, deep water.
Bobcat
Capable More developed
Will swim across streams and swamp channels, notably in the south-eastern United States.
Conservation
Red List category, population direction and the pressures documented for each species.
Caracal
LC — Least Concern
Assessed 2016
Bobcat
LC — Least Concern
Assessed 2016
Caracal
Stable
Bobcat
Stable
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.
Bobcat
Vehicle collisions, Anticoagulant rodenticide exposure, Habitat fragmentation near cities, Regulated and illegal harvest pressure, Disease in isolated urban populations
Numbers are healthy across most of the range and the species has recolonised parts of the Midwest. Local concerns include rodenticide exposure in urban populations and mange outbreaks.
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.
Bobcat
- It is the most numerous wild cat in North America and the one most often photographed by home security cameras.
- Coat pattern varies from heavily spotted in the south-west to almost plain in northern forests.
- Urban bobcats in southern California have been studied for years as an indicator of how carnivores cope with fragmented landscapes.
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.
- U.S. National Park Service Long-running monitoring of North American carnivores inside protected areas.
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Federal listing status and recovery planning for cats occurring in the United States.