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Caracal caracal | UAE National Red List of Mammals: Marine and Terrestrial

Publication
UAE National Red List of Mammals: Marine and Terrestrial
Location
Countries in Assessment
United Arab Emirates (the)
Country ISO code(s)
ARE
Does the assessment cover a marine EEZ area(s)?
Off
Scope (Assessment)
National
Taxon
Taxonomic Group
Vertebrates
Taxonomic Group Level 2
Mammals
Assessed taxon level
Species
Taxonomic Notes
The Caracal has been classified variously with Lynx and Felis in the past, but molecular evidence supports a monophyletic genus. It is closely allied with the African Golden Cat (Caracal aurata) and the Serval (Leptailurus serval), having diverged around 8.5 mya (Janczewski et al. 1995, Johnson and O'Brien 1997, Johnson et al. 2006). Seven subspecies have been recognised in Africa (Smithers 1975), of which two occur in southern Africa: C. c. damarensis from Namibia, the Northern Cape, southern Botswana and southern and central Angola; and the nominate C. c. caracal from the remainder of the species' range in southern Africa (Meester et al. 1986). According to Stuart and Stuart (2013), however, these subspecies should best be considered as geographical variants.
Taxon distribution as listed in assessment
Formerly widespread in the mountains of the northern UAE. There are also a few reports from lowland areas in the west, such as Al Wathba in 2003 (Aspinall et al. 2005). One was recorded between Sweihan and Faqqa in 1998 and another was caught at Al Zubair on the border of Sharjah Emirate in 2014/2015. In the late 1990s, reports and signs in the most northerly mountains were fairly frequent but have become more and more scarce. There are no recent records from Abu Dhabi. There are several records from the mountains of Ras Al Khaimah, including several killed and displayed on 'hanging trees', but no Caracals have been recorded on camera traps there in the last two years. It was camera-trapped in Wadi Wurayah in 2017, including a female with two young. Globally, it is widely distributed across Africa, Central Asia, and through the Middle East to northwest India (Avgan et al. 2016). It is widespread in the Arabian Peninsula (Mallon and Budd 2011).
Habitats and Ecology
Ecological system type
Terrestrial system
No
Freshwater system
No
Marine system
No
Habitat
Habitat details as listed in assessment
Most records in UAE are from rocky wadis in the Hajar Mountains. Mainly nocturnal, but the Caracal may also hunt in the cooler early morning and late afternoon. It preys on birds, rodents, reptiles and even young or small ungulates. e.g. in southern Oman it preyed on gazelles (Harrison and Bates 1991). It is routinely blamed by livestock owners as a predator on domestic goats.
Is there a map available in assessment?
Yes
Assessed status
Asessment status in full
Critically endangered
Assessment status abreviation
CR
Assessment status criteria
C2a(i)
Assessment rationale/justification
This species was formerly widespread in the mountains of the northern UAE. The population is estimated to be close to but more likely below 250 mature individuals. There is a continuing decline based on a lack of reports from previously known localities and due to persecution and habitat loss, and no subpopulation has more than 50 mature individuals. Hence the species is assessed as Critically Endangered under criterion C2a(i). There is no significant rescue effect because the population in Oman is also sparse and fencing of the international border impedes movement.
About the assessment
Assessment year
2018
Assessors/contributors/reviewers listed
UAE National Red List Workshop
Affliation of assessor(s)/contributors/reviewers listed on assessment
Government
IGO
Assessor affiliation specific
Government|IGO
Criteria system
Criteria system specifics
IUCN v3.1
Criteria system used
IUCN
Criteria Citation
IUCN. 2012. IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria: Version 3.1, Second edition. IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK. iv + 32pp pp. And IUCN. 2012. Guidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at Regional and National Levels: Version 4.0. Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK: IUCN. iii + 41pp.
URL (link) of redlist assessment or publication
https://www.moccae.gov.ae/assets/download/b352eff1/UNRL%20of%20Mammals%20-%20Report%202019.pdf.aspx?view=true
Endemism
Endemic to region
Not assigned
Endemism Notes
Is an endemic?: Not_assigned
Conservation
Threats listed in assessment
Subject to generalised persecution of carnivores (shooting, trapping, poisoning) by livestock owners and farmers. Habitat in the Hajar Mountains is being lost, degraded and fragmented by quarrying, road building, and residential and tourism development.
Conservation Measures

Conservation measures:
Conservation measures notes:
Required conservation measures:

Further information
History
The backcasted 1996 assessment for this species is Vulnerable (VU C2a(i)) which matches the listing given by Hornby (1996). Desert habitats have been degraded, destroyed and fragmented by development and road-building. But the main threats is generalised persecution (shooting, trapping, poisoning) by livestock owners and farmers. The population is suspected to have now declined to below 250 mature individuals.