Caracal

Of course, everyone saw lions, tigers and leopards in the zoo. And did you pay attention to another interesting cat living in Mykolaiv Zoo – a caracal?

The name "caracal" was proposed by Georges Buffon in 1761 who referred to its Turkish name "Karrah-kulak" or "Kara-coulac", meaning "cat with black ears". The caracal's ears are a high-precision locator that is driven by more than two dozen muscles. On the tips of the ears of this cat are tufts of hair up to 5 cm.

Ears of this shape make the caracal look like a lynx. Another name for the animal - "desert lynx", because its range - the deserts and savannas of Africa and Asia.

Caracal is a skilled predator. This animal is well tamed, and in ancient times people with tamed caracals hunted hares, pheasants, peacocks and small antelopes. Such hunting was very popular in the East. The caracal was also called a "cheetah for the poor", because the hunting caracal was kept mainly by poor people.

In Mykolaiv Zoo you can see the caracal in the enclosure with dense natural vegetation which is located near enclosures for coatis and servals.