Caracal

Caracals are native to much of Africa, Central Asia, and Southwestern Asia. Their distinctive characteristics are their long ear tufts. The name Caracal id derived from the Turkish word “Karakulak” which means  “Black ears”.

They can jump so high(16 feet, height of 3 men) that they can catch birds right out of the air. They can catch 10 to 12 birds in a single leap. Their huge hind legs help them to jump really high. They have retractable claws. Their claws are out when they need them and are in when they don’t need them. Their eyes are adapted to help them see and hunt in the dark.

One of the many nocturnal creatures, Caracals are quite fast(50 miles or 80 km per hour). They can outrun even antelopes and ostriches. They are also known as the Persian lynx and the gazelle cat. Its closest relative is the African golden cat. Caracals are also found in black but are very rare. They are also known to sometimes take down prey larger than themselves like small antelopes or even goats.

They have an amazing sense of hearing. They have 20 muscles in there to move the ear which helps them listen to even the slightest sound of the prey.

They are known to sometimes store their kill in trees. mostly in places with many hyenas. During the breeding season, 2 caracals will pair up for a day or two. After the female becomes pregnant, she drives the male away. Caracal kittens are born with their eyes closed and ears curled up.  after about 3 weeks, their ears unfurl.

They were captured and tamed and were given as gifts to guests. In ancient India and Iran, they were put into arenas with pigeons and deer. then wagers were placed on how many birds the caracal would catch. In doing so, they provided both food and entertainment.

Golden Snub-Nosed Monkey

They live in mountainous regions of central and southwest China where the temperatures are very cold in the winter. This monkey can withstand extremely cold temperatures, where no other non-human primates can survive.

They live in groups called troops, of 2 types, namely - “single male troops” where there are only one male and many females and their young and an “all-male troop”

A mature male snub-nosed monkey has long hair on its back. This is to impress females. being brave, strong, and big and having a cape makes one the leader of a troop. They have a thick coat of fur which keeps them warm in the winter. They have a blue face!!

Sometimes groups get together in the summer and the group will have around 600 of them. That is why in winter, they break into smaller groups between 20-60  because of the lack of food. This behavior is called “ Fission and Fusion”.

In humans, the nose sticks out so when they are in the cold, the nose, fingers, and toes are the first ones to get frostbite. But these monkeys noses don’t stick out so much and their noses are not fleshy like humans. And their hands have short fingers with a lot of hair of them, this makes it less likely for this monkey to get frostbite. At night, when the temperature drops very low. To stay warm, the monkeys huddle together when they are sleeping to keep each other warm and to keep an eye out for predators.

For food, these monkeys eat lichen. It provides proteins to the monkeys which help them get through the winter. In summer, they eat seeds and fruit.

This is an endangered species primarily due to habitat loss and fragmentation. The monkeys are poached for their fur, meat, and traditional medicine.