African golden cat
African golden cat | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Chordata |
Class: | Mammalia |
Order: | Carnivora |
Suborder: | Feliformia |
Family: | Felidae |
Subfamily: | Felinae |
Genus: | Caracal |
Species: | C. aurata
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Binomial name | |
Caracal aurata (Temminck, 1827)
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Subspecies | |
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Distribution of the African golden cat, 2015[1] | |
Synonyms | |
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The African golden cat (Caracal aurata) is a wild
Characteristics
The African golden cat has a
Skins of African golden cats can be identified by the presence of a distinctive whorled ridge of fur in front of the shoulders, where the hairs change direction. It is about twice the size of a domestic cat. Its rounded head is very small in relation to its body size. It is a heavily built cat, with stocky, long legs, a relatively short tail, and large paws. Body length usually varies within the range of 61 to 101 cm (24 to 40 in). Tail length ranges from 16 to 46 cm (6.3 to 18.1 in), and shoulder height is about 38 to 55 cm (15 to 22 in). The cat weighs around 5.5 to 16 kg (12 to 35 lb), with males being larger than females.[4]
Overall, the African golden cat resembles the caracal, but has shorter untufted ears, a longer tail, and a shorter, more rounded face. It has small, rounded ears. Its eye colour ranges from pale blue to brown.[7]
Taxonomy
Felis aurata was the
In 1858, Nikolai Severtzov proposed the generic names Profelis with F. celidogaster as type species, and Chrysailurus with F. neglecta as type species.[13] In 1917, Reginald Innes Pocock subordinated both the African golden cat and the Asian golden cat to Profelis.[14] This classification was followed by several subsequent authors.[15][6][16][17][2]
Two African golden cat subspecies are recognised as valid since 2017:[20]
- C. a. aurata (Temminck, 1827) − east of the Congo River
- C. a. celidogaster (Temminck, 1827) − west of the Cross River
Phylogeny
The following cladogram shows the phylogenetic relationships of the African golden cat:[3][19]
Felinae |
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Distribution and habitat
The African golden cat is distributed from Senegal to the Central African Republic, Kenya and as far south as northern Angola. It inhabits tropical forests from sea level to an elevation of 3,000 m (9,800 ft). It prefers dense, moist forest with heavy undergrowth close to rivers but lives also in cloud forest, bamboo forests, and high moorland habitats.[4]
In Guinea's National Park of Upper Niger, it was recorded during surveys conducted in 1996 to 1997.[21]
In Uganda's Kibale National Park, an African golden cat was recorded in an Uvariopsis forest patch in 2008.[22] In Gabon's Moukalaba-Doudou National Park, it was recorded in forested areas during surveys in 2012.[23] African Golden cats were recorded in Tanzania's Minziro Forest Reserve in 2018 for the first time.[24]
Ecology and behaviour
Due to its extremely reclusive habits, little is known about the behaviour of African golden cats. They are solitary animals, and are normally
African golden cats are able to climb, but hunt primarily on the ground. They mainly feed on tree hyrax, rodents, but also hunt birds, small monkeys, duikers, young of giant forest hog, and small antelope. They have also been known to take domestic poultry and livestock.[4][5]
Reproduction
Knowledge of the African golden cat's reproductive habits is based on captive individuals. The female gives birth to one or two kittens after a gestation period of around 75 days. The kittens weigh 180 to 235 g (6.3 to 8.3 oz). Their eyes open within a week of birth, and they are weaned at 6–8 weeks. They grow and develop rapidly in comparison with other small cat species. One individual was reported to be scaling a 40-cm wall within 16 days of birth, reflecting a high degree of physical agility from an early age. Females reach sexual maturity at 11 months of age, and males at around 18 months. In captivity, they live up to 12 years. Their lifespan in the wild is unknown.[4]
Threats
The African golden cat is threatened by extensive
Conservation
The African golden cat is listed in
References
- ^ .
- ^ OCLC 62265494.
- ^ S2CID 41672825.
- ^ ISBN 0-226-77999-8.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8008-8324-9.
- ^ a b c Van Mensch, P. J. A.; Van Bree, P. J. H. (1969). "On the African golden cat, Profelis aurata (Temminck, 1827)". Biologica Gabonica. V (4): 235–269.
- ISBN 978-0-691-14069-8.
- ^ Temminck, C. J. (1827). "Félis doré Felis aurata". Monographies de Mammalogie. Paris: G. Dufour et E. d'Ocagne. pp. 120−121.
- ^ Temminck, C. J. (1827). "Félis a ventre tacheté Felis celidogaster". Monographies de Mammalogie. Paris: G. Dufour et E. d'Ocagne. pp. 140−141.
- .
- ^ Waterhouse, G. R. (1842). "Felis rutilus". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. X (September): 130.
- ^ Lydekker, R. (1906). "Description of two Mammals from the Ituri Forest". Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London. 1906 (December): 992−996.
- ^ Severtzow, M. N. (1858). "Notice sur la classification multisériale des Carnivores, spécialement des Félidés, et les études de zoologie générale qui s'y rattachent". Revue et Magasin de Zoologie Pure et Appliquée. Série 2 X: 385–396.
- .
- ^ Allen, G. M. (1939). "A checklist of African mammals". Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology at Harvard College. 83: 242.
- ^ Hemmer, H. (1978). "The evolutionary systematics of living Felidae: Present status and current problems". Carnivore. 1 (1): 71–79.
- ^ Groves, C. P. (1982). "Cranial and dental characteristics in the systematics of Old World Felidae". Carnivore. 5 (2): 28–39.
- S2CID 40185850.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-923444-8.
- ^ Kitchener, A. C.; Breitenmoser-Würsten, C.; Eizirik, E.; et al. (2017). "A revised taxonomy of the Felidae: The final report of the Cat Classification Task Force of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group" (PDF). Cat News (Special Issue 11): 60−61.
- .
- .
- .
- .
- ^ De Beer, E.; Nicolau, J.R. & Hunter, L.T. (2021). "First record with physical evidence of the African golden cat from Angola". Cat News (74): 11–12.
- ^ Nowell, K. and Jackson, P. (1996). Wild Cats: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan. IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland.
External links
- Species portrait African golden cat; IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group
- Rare African golden cat sightings
- Elusive golden cat caught on film in Uganda (black & white) (2009) and Gabon (colour) (2011) Archived 17 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine
- Prostak, S. (2015). "African Golden Cat: camera traps capture stunning photos of Africa's least-known felid". AwwNews.com.