# Caracal (*Caracal caracal*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/caracal  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The caracal (Caracal caracal) is a medium-sized mammal in the family Felidae, subfamily Felinae, within the order Carnivora. It is a nocturnal, terrestrial carnivore whose main foods include impala, dorcas gazelle, gerenuk, helmeted guineafowl, meerkat, hyracoidea and carrion. Adults weigh 13.75 kg, with values up to 14 kg reported, and its lifespan is 18 years, with values up to 20.3 years reported. Gestation lasts 74 days, litters have 3 young, sexual maturity comes at 1.2 years, and the IUCN lists it as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 13.8 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Height | 40 cm – 50 cm |
| Lifespan | 18 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 20.3 years |
| Main food | african penguin, african wildcat, banded mongoose, barbary striped grass mouse, black and rufous elephant shrew, bush vlei rat and 18 more |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 69 days – 74 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 3 |
| Age at maturity | 15 months |
| Litters or clutches a year | 1.1 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Felidae
- genus: Caracal
- species: *Caracal caracal* (Schreber, 1776)

Synonyms: *Felis caracal*, *Lynx caracal*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is a caracal?

The caracal is a medium-sized mammal in the family Felidae and the order Carnivora.

### How heavy is a caracal?

An adult caracal weighs 13.75 kg, with values up to 14 kg reported by sources.

### What does a caracal eat?

The caracal is a carnivore. Its main foods include impala, dorcas gazelle, gerenuk, mountain reedbuck, helmeted guineafowl, meerkat, banded mongoose, hyracoidea, goat, hen and carrion.

### Is the caracal endangered?

No. The caracal is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a caracal live?

The caracal's lifespan is 18 years, with values up to 20.3 years reported by sources.

### How many young does a caracal have?

A caracal has 3 young per litter, with 1.1 litters per year, after a gestation period of 74 days.

### Is the caracal active at night?

Yes. The caracal is nocturnal and terrestrial.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Caracal (Caracal caracal). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/caracal