[3] The 'lynx' of the Greeks and Romans was most probably the caracal, and the name 'lynx' is sometimes still applied to it, but the present-day lynx proper is a separate genus.

Serval (L. serval) Caracal African golden cat (C. aurata) Leopardus Lynx Acinonyx Puma Otocolobus Prionailurus Felis The caracal is a slender, moderately sized cat characterised by a robust build, a short face, long canine teeth, tufted ears, and long legs.

However, a notable point of difference between the two is that Lynx species are spotted and blotched, while the caracal shows no such markings on the coat.

[16] The African golden cat has a similar build as the caracal's, but is darker and lacks the ear tufts.

In Asia, it occurs from the Arabian Peninsula, Middle East, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan to western India.

[22] In the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, a male caracal was photographed by camera traps in Jebel Hafeet National Park in Al Ain Region, in spring 2019, the first such record since the mid-1980s.

[23] In south-western Turkey, caracals are present in a wildlife reserve in the provinces of Antalya and Muğla that is regularly used for recreational and agricultural activities.

[26] In Iran, the caracal has been recorded in Abbasabad Naein Reserve, Bahram’gur Protected Area, Kavir National Park and in Yazd province.

[27][28][29][30][31] In India, the caracal occurs in Sariska Tiger Reserve and Ranthambhore National Park.

In Mountain Zebra National Park, the home ranges of females vary between 4.0 and 6.5 km2 (1.5 and 2.5 sq mi).

[15] The caracal typically preys on mammals, which generally comprise at least 80% of its diet; and it also targets small Cercopithecidae monkeys and larger antelopes such as young kudu, impala, mountain gazelle, dorcas gazelle, Cape bushbuck, gerenuk, mountain reedbuck, Sharpe's grysbok and springbok.

[39][19] Caracals are estimated to have caused about 11% of African penguin mortality in Simon's Town breeding colony between January 1999 and September 2021.

[42] The caracals's speed and agility make it an efficient hunter, able to take down prey two to three times its size.

[39] Both sexes become sexually mature by the time they are a year old; production of gametes begins even earlier at seven to ten months.

Females in oestrus show a spike in urine-marking, and form temporary pairs with males.

Mating has not been extensively studied; a limited number of observations suggest that copulation, lasting nearly four minutes on an average, begins with the male smelling the areas urine-marked by the female, which then rolls on the ground.

Births take place in dense vegetation or deserted burrows of aardvarks and porcupines.

Kittens are born with their eyes and ears shut and the claws not retractable (unable to be drawn inside); the coat resembles that of adults, but the abdomen is spotted.

[16][21][45] In the 1990s, a captive caracal spontaneously mated with a domestic cat in the Moscow Zoo, resulting in a felid hybrid offspring.

Habitat loss due to agricultural expansion, the building of roads and settlements is a major threat in all range countries.

[1] In Uzbekistan, the major threat to caracal is killing by herders in retaliation for livestock losses.

Guarding techniques and sheds are inadequate to protect small livestock like goats and sheep from being attacked by predators.

Additionally, similarly to Ethiopia, heavy-traffic roads crossing caracal habitat pose a potential threat for the species.

Hunting of caracal is prohibited in Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan.

[1] In South Africa, the caracal is considered Least Concern, as it is widespread and adaptable to a variety of habitats.

[47] The Central Asian caracal population is listed as Critically Endangered in Uzbekistan since 2009, and in Kazakhstan since 2010.

[26][48][49] The caracal appears to have been religiously significant in the ancient Egyptian culture, as it occurs in paintings and as bronze figurines; sculptures are thought to have guarded the tombs of pharaohs.

[52] The caracal was esteemed for its ability to catch birds in flight and was used for coursing by Mughal emperors in India at least since the Delhi Sultanate.

In the 13th and the 14th centuries, Yuan dynasty rulers bought numerous caracals, cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) and tigers (Panthera tigris) from Muslim merchants in the western parts of the empire in return for gold, silver, copper cash and silk.