Gondia (Maharashtra): Caracal, an elusive animal which is fast approaching extinction in India, was spotted in the vicinity of Navegoanbadh National Park.
Nature and bird lover Bheemsen Dongarwar said he sighted the animal, considered to be the nearest among the big cats to the cheetah, on January 19 at Madhavzhari Point in the park here in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.
The animal (felis caracal schreber), which is little over 160 cms long with tail around 23 cms, has distinctive characters like broad head and tufted ears much like that of lynx, he said.
According to Dongarwar like the lynx, caracal stands higher on its hind limbs than on the fore, but it's smaller and lighter in build having long tail and no ruff on hair.
The colouring is uniform reddish grey above fading into buff or white below, he said, adding the animal is generally found in drier parts of Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Central India. Outside India, it has a presence in Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia and greater part of Africa.
Caracal is a creature of desert and wild scrub, which hunts like cheetah and preys upon birds, antelope, rodents and smaller deer. Though nothing is definite about breeding, it is said to rear its young in hollow trees or crevices among rocks, Dongarwar said.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, January 21, 2010, 10:45