Caracal aurata
| African golden cat | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Family: | Felidae |
| Subfamily: | Felinae |
| Genus: |
Caracal (Gray, 1843) |
| Species: | C. aurata |
| Binomial name | |
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Caracal aurata (Temminck, 1827) |
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| Subspecies | |
(but see text) |
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Distribution of the African golden cat
Possible range or accidental records
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| Synonyms | |
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(but see text)
The African golden cat (Caracal aurata) is a wild cat endemic to the rainforests of West and Central Africa. It is threatened due to deforestation and bushmeat hunting and listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
It is a close relative of both the caracal and the serval. Previously, it was placed in the genus Profelis.
Its body size ranges from 61 to 101 cm (24 to 40 in) with a 16 to 46 cm (6.3 to 18.1 in) long tail.
Pardofelis marmorata (Marbled cat)
Catopuma badia (Bay cat)
C. temminckii (Asian golden cat)
Leptailurus serval (Serval)
Caracal caracal (Caracal)
C. aurata (African golden cat)
The African golden cat is placed in the subfamily Felinae and the family Felidae. The species was first described by Dutch zoologist Coenraad Jacob Temminck on the basis of mounted cats from western Africa available for sale at a London museum. Temminck named a reddish-brown-colored skin with faint spots Felis aurata and a greyish skin F. celidogaster that was spotted all over with dark blotches and a red tail. Subsequently, a brownish grey skin from Sierra Leone was described as F. neglecta, a chestnut skin as F. rutilus, a dark grey skin as F. chrysothrix cottoni, and a black skin from Congo-Brazzaville as F. maka.
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