General:

In Persian, called Siah-Gush which means "black eared", and refers to the back of its long, tufted, black-tipped ears (the name caracal itself is derived from a Turkish word Qhara-qulaq, as a calque of the Persian name). So called the Persian lynx or Desert Lynx. Classified in the genus Felis, some dispute this and categorize them with the Lynx (Lynx), or Lynx caracal, and sometimes classified on its own genus as Caracal caracal. Caracals are highly intelligent cats that can be easily tamed. Just like its congener the Yuz (cheetah) in ancient times, trained caracals were used in Iran to catch many types of small animals such as birds, hares, rabbits, and young gazelles, but it can be tamed especially if caught young. They hunted alongside the master and answering his calls like the dogs. According to Iranian legendary history (as related by Ferdowsi in the Shah-nameh book) Tahmurat was the first to tame and train the caracal and the cheetah, which he selected from among all the wild beasts, and the Baz and the shahin from among the birds of prey. However, the stronger, faster, and larger cheetah was much preferred by hunters to the caracal. The Caracal is capable of leaping into the air and knocking down 10-12 birds at one time!.

Distribution in Iran:
In Iran, it is seen in most regions of the country and has been reported from: Khuzestan, Fars, Kerman, Kavir region, Baluchestan, Khorasan, Shahrud, Arak and Tehran area.

Habitat:
Although it is known as "desert lynx" but it can be found in bush, arid dry or even high areas too. Like other felids living in desert areas, It does not require water to drink in the wild, as it extracts enough moisture from its prey.

Appearance:
Despite that classified as the desert lynx, the Caracal has not actually the same physical sizes of members of the lynx family. It is smaller but has a longer tail, strong legs and agile body than the lynx. The body length of 80-105 cm for males (females are smaller) and a tail length of 23-31 cm. Standing about 40 cm to 50 cm in height at the shoulder. Males can weigh up to 13-20 kg (females 11-15 kg). It has a fairly short coat, color varies from reddish-brown to red-grey. The underside is white. Young Caracals are grayer and darker than adults. Its narrow ears are longer than that of any cat family. These large ears, give them excellent hearing, to detect sounds made by prey.

Zakariya Qhazvini describes it as follows: " Anagh (its common name in Arabic) It is larger than the dogs, very good-looking, its color is like that of the red camel, its ears are black".

Hunting and Diet:
A powerful and fast wild cat that can leap 4 m. Caracals prey on a variety of small mammals, birds, snakes, as well as some insects. Vegetables formed part of their diet too. This cat hunts in the early evening or early morning and rests in the hottest part of the day. They will even store a kill on the tree, to save this food for a few days later. The caracal is also known in classical Persian by the name (or nickname) of Parvanak (somebody who guides a courier on his route) and Shatere-Shir (the herald/forerunner of the lion) because it goes ahead of the lion and cries in order to warn the other animals of the lion's coming!. It is further known in Persian literature for this feature that it feeds on the leftovers of the lion's repast. As Hamd-Allah Qhazvini says: "It keeps company with the lion most of the time, partakes of the leftovers of its prey, but for fear of the lion's assault, it does not go too near the latter". Zakariya Qhazvini says: " It hunts as the cheetah does. When walking, it conceals its tracks (it is digitigrade). It hunts the crane, and if the crane flies off, it springs up forcefully into the air and catches the crane with its paw".