{"id":36969,"date":"2013-07-15T07:06:21","date_gmt":"2013-07-15T11:06:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/planetsave.com\/?p=36969"},"modified":"2013-07-15T07:06:21","modified_gmt":"2013-07-15T11:06:21","slug":"caracal-kittens-facts-pictures-and-video","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/planetsave.com\/articles\/caracal-kittens-facts-pictures-and-video\/","title":{"rendered":"Caracal Kittens — Facts, Pictures, And Video"},"content":{"rendered":"

Some images of caracal kittens — the small wild cat kittens seen below — have recently been going viral on the internet, as a result I figured that it’d be a good idea to provide some background on the relatively unknown species of wild cat. As well as, of course, posting pictures of the adorable caracal kittens. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

\"Caracal<\/a>
Caracal Kittens
Image Credit: Screen Capture<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The caracal — Caracal caracal<\/em> — is a species of wild cat found throughout Africa, central Asia and southwest Asia. While the species currently possesses a relatively wide range numbers have been falling in recent years throughout much of that range — North Africa, much of Central Asia, and India — as a result of habitat loss, deforestation, and desertification.<\/p>\n

Caracals are most easily identified based on the presence of a long tuft on the tip of the ear, which exceeds half the length of the ear. Other traits include: a coat without any trace of pattern, a slender and long-legged build, a relatively short tail, a high and rounded skull, and large powerful looking teeth. Caracals with entirely black coats sometimes occur — but are fairly rare. Molecular evidence suggests that the species’ that caracals are most closely related to are the African golden cat and the serval.<\/p>\n