Caracal

About Caracal

• It is an elusive, primarily nocturnal animal which has traditionally been valued for its litheness and extraordinary ability to catch birds in flight.
• In India, it is called siya gosh, a Persian name that translates as ‘black Ear’.
• They typically use abandoned porcupine burrows and rock crevices for maternal dens, but can be found with their young in dense vegetation.
• Distribution:
  • The most suitable habitat for caracals in Rajasthan, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh is located in Kutch, the Malwa Plateau, the Aravalli hill range and the Bundelkhand region, 
  • It is found in several dozen countries across Africa, the Middle East, Central and South Asia. 
• Habitat: They live in woodlands, savannahs and in scrub forests .
• Threats: Large-scale hunting, illegal trading and loss of natural habitats are considered significant threats to the species.
• Conservation status
  • The Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I

Q1) What is Savanna vegetation?

It is a vegetation type that grows under hot, seasonally dry climatic conditions and is characterized by an open tree canopy (i.e., scattered trees) above a continuous tall grass understory (the vegetation layer between the forest canopy and the ground).

Source: Protect India’s scrublands to save the caracal