caracal

car·a·cal

C0095600 (kăr′ə-kăl′)n. A wildcat (Caracal caracal) of Africa and southwestern Asia having short fawn-colored fur and long tufted ears.

[French, from Ottoman Turkish qaraqūlāq : qara, black (akin to Old Turkic qarā; probably akin to Mongolian qara, and perhaps to Japanese kuro-) + qūlāq, ear (akin to Old Turkic qulqaq, qulxaq; perhaps akin to Mongolian qulki, earwax).]

caracal

(ˈkærəˌkæl) n1. (Animals) Also called: desert lynx a lynxlike feline mammal, Lynx caracal, inhabiting deserts of N Africa and S Asia, having long legs, a smooth coat of reddish fur, and black-tufted ears2. (Textiles) the fur of this animal[C18: from French, from Turkish kara kūlāk, literally: black ear]

car•a•cal

(ˈkær əˌkæl)

n. 1. a wildcat, Felis (Lynx) caracal, of S Asia and Africa, with a reddish brown coat and tufted ears. 2. the fur of this animal. [1750–60; < French]

Thesaurus

Noun

caracal - of deserts of northern Africa and southern Asiadesert lynx, Lynx caracalcatamount, lynx - short-tailed wildcats with usually tufted ears; valued for their fur

Translations

caracal

(kăr`əkəl) or

Persian lynx,

mammal of the family Felidae (catcat,
name applied broadly to the carnivorous mammals constituting the family Felidae, and specifically to the domestic cat, Felis catus. The great roaring cats, the lion, tiger, and leopard are anatomically very similar to one another and constitute the genus
..... Click the link for more information. family), native to Asia and Africa. The caracal, Caracal caracal, is reddish brown with black-tufted ears. Its total length is about 3 1-4 ft (105 cm). It preys on small deer, hares, birds, and other animals. Active mainly at twilight, it will hunt during the night in hot weather. In some regions it is trained to catch such game for humans. Also known as the African or desert lynx, it is not a true lynxlynx,
name given to several related small, ferocious members of the cat family. All have small heads, tufted ears, and heavy bodies with long legs and short tails. All are primarily terrestrial, although they are able to climb trees.
..... Click the link for more information. . Caracals are classified in the phylum ChordataChordata
, phylum of animals having a notochord, or dorsal stiffening rod, as the chief internal skeletal support at some stage of their development. Most chordates are vertebrates (animals with backbones), but the phylum also includes some small marine invertebrate animals.
..... Click the link for more information. , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Carnivora, family Felidae.

Caracal

a city in Rumania, in Oltenia district. Population, 24, 300 (1970). Railroad junction. The major industry is food-processing, chiefly fruit and vegetable canning.

Caracal

(Felis caracal), a predatory mammal of the Felidae (cat) family. The body length reaches 85 cm, and the tail is about 25 cm; height at the shoulder is about 45 cm.

The caracal has tufts of hair on the tips of its ears and short fur that is sandy yellow on top and whitish underneath; the tufts and outer sides of the ears are black. It resembles the lynx in appearance. Caracals are distributed in the deserts and piedmonts of Africa and Asia. They are not common in the USSR, where they are found only in southern Turkmenia and occasionally in Uzbekistan. They feed on small mammals, such as pikas, susliks, jerboas, and rabbits, and birds; occasionally they will attack Persian gazelles. The caracal is a protected species in the USSR.

REFERENCE

Mlekopitaiushchie Sovetskogo Soiuza, vol. 2, part 2. Moscow, 1972.

caracal

1. a lynxlike feline mammal, Lynx caracal, inhabiting deserts of N Africa and S Asia, having long legs, a smooth coat of reddish fur, and black-tufted ears. 2. the fur of this animal

caracal

car·a·cal

caracal

car•a•cal

caracal

caracal

Persian lynx,

Caracal

Caracal

REFERENCE

caracal

caracal

Synonyms for caracal

noun of deserts of northern Africa and southern Asia

Synonyms

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