These videos are about the African Caracal Cat also known as the African Lynx or Desert Lynx (Caracal caracal). This wild cat is well known for its beautiful large, tufted ears as well as its incredible leaping ability when hunting birds.
Although the Caracal is often called a Lynx due to its pointed ears and long ear tufts, it is not in fact related to the true Lynx family of cats that occur in the cooler climates of the northern hemisphere.
These narrated video clips are all taken in the wild by professional filmmakers. The one hour documentary at the end is about how Caracals helped to control birds at an air force base in South Africa with their amazing hunting abilities.
Smithsonian Channel: Educational video about Caracal ears and the cat's hunting technique.
The flexible Caracal ears are made up three groups of twenty muscles and a long ear canal. These adaptations mean that Caracal cats are more sensitive to sound than both humans and dogs.
Caracal clip at 00:30 minutes.
Born In Freedom: Caracal interaction with Black-backed jackals.
Notice how both the jackals and the Caracal flatten their ears during the fighting. Flattening of ears is often displayed during aggressive as well as submissive animal behaviour.
BBC One: Slow motion video clip of a Caracal landing on its feet.
The only wild cats that have all black ears are the Caracal and the African Golden Cat. And in fact the Caracal's name means 'black eared' from the Turkish word "karakulak".
BBC Earth: Caracal hunting at night and interaction with Bat-eared foxes.
It is thought that the purpose of the long ear tufts of Caracals are for communication with other Caracals as well as channeling sound into the ears.
Top Cat by HIT Wildlife: Documentary about Caracals helping to control birds at an air force base.
Notice that the ear tufts of the older male Caracal begin to droop with age, this is often observed with captive cats that tend to live far longer than their wild counterparts.
