Caracal | |
---|---|
African golden cat (C. aurata) Caracal (C. caracal) | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Suborder: | Feliformia |
Family: | Felidae |
Subfamily: | Felinae |
Genus: | Caracal Gray, 1843 |
Type species | |
Caracal melanotis 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.[1] Historically, it was considered to be a monotypic genus, consisting of only the type species: the caracal C. caracal.[2]
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 |
---|---|---|---|---|
Double-toothed kite | Caracal caracal (Schreber, 1776) Three subspecies
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Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and Venezuela |
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
NT
|
African golden cat | Caracal aurata (Temminck, 1823) Two subspecies
|
Brazil, Paraguay and eastern Bolivia ; winters north to the Amazon basin and the Guyana Shield |
Size: Habitat: Diet: |
VU
|
Wikidata ☰ Q2937805 entry
Original source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caracal (genus).
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