The African golden cat (Caracal aurata)
The African golden cat (Caracal aurata) is included in the IUCN Red List as a "vulnerable species"
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.
Caracal aurata is a species of medium-sized carnivorous mammal of the family Felidae that lives in the rainforests of central and western Africa, from Guinea Bissau to the border regions of Kenya and Tanzania and including the entire Congo region.
The Caracal aurata is a carnivorous mammal of the cat family. For a long time, the golden cat was classified in a separate genus, Profelis, but genetic analysis showed that the caracal, golden cat and serval are closely related genetically and evolved from a common ancestor some 5.4 million years ago. It was therefore proposed to combine them all into the genus Caracal.
Distribution
Caracal aurata inhabits the tropical rainforests of Equatorial Africa, from Senegal to northern Angola and from Congo in the west to southern Kenya in the east. Its main population resides in and around the Congo Basin.
Appearance
Twice the size of a domestic cat. It is between 0.9 and 1.2 m long, with a tail 2/7-1/3 of the total length and a height at the withers of 38-50 cm. The average weight of males is 11-14 kg; the only heavy female weighed only 6.2 kg. The ears are rounded, dark on the outside; the head is small.
There are two main colour options: golden/reddish-brown or silver-grey/bluish-grey. The number of animals of both colours is approximately equal. In general, the chest, belly and throat of a golden cat are lighter or white; there is a light rim around the eyes. The tail has a well-defined dark central line; the tip of the tail is brown or black.
Melanistic black animals are also known, and darker patches are visible in the main colouration, which constitutes 4 % of all cats.
Caracal aurata is very similar to Catopuma temminckii, with which it was grouped in the genus of golden cats, and the species was accordingly named African golden cat, and Catopuma temminckii Asian golden cat. However, they are not related, but are the result of convergent evolution in similar habitats.
Taxonomy
Felis aurata was the scientific name used by Coenraad Jacob Temminck who described a reddish-brown coloured cat skin in 1827 that he had bought from a merchant in London. Temminck also described a grey coloured skin of a cat with chocolate brown spots that had lived in the menagerie in London. He named it Felis celidogaster. Felis neglecta proposed by John Edward Gray in 1838 was a brownish grey cat skin from Sierra Leone. Felis rutilus proposed by George Robert Waterhouse in 1842 was a reddish cat skin from Sierra Leone. Felis chrysothrix cottoni proposed by Richard Lydekker in 1906 was a dark grey cat skin from the Ituri Rainforest. A black cat skin from eastern Congo was proposed as Felis maka in 1942.
In 1858, Nikolai Severtzov proposed the generic names Profelis with Felis celidogaster as type species, and Chrysailurus with Felis neglecta as type species. In 1917, Reginald Innes Pocock subordinated both the African golden cat and the Asian golden cat to Profelis. This classification was followed by several subsequent authors.
Phylogenetic analysis of cat samples showed that the African golden cat is closely related with the caracal (Caracal caracal). These two species, together with the serval (Leptailurus serval), form the Caracal lineage, one of the eight lineages of Felidae. This lineage evolved nearly 8.5 million years ago. Because of this close relationship, the African golden cat has been placed into the genus Caracal.
Two African golden cat subspecies are recognised as valid since 2017:
- Caracal aurata aurata (Temminck, 1827) − east of the Congo River;
- Caracal aurata celidogaster (Temminck, 1827) − west of the Cross River.
Lifestyle and nutrition
Catopuma temminckii's usual habitat is the tropical rainforests of equatorial Africa, including mangrove and bamboo forests, but it is able to adapt to changes in the landscape, occurring also in dry forests, river thickets and logging.
There is little data on the life of these cats in the wild, as they are secretive and quite rare. They lead a solitary lifestyle, hunting mainly at night and resting on tree branches during the day.
Catopuma temminckii's diet includes rodents, hyraxes, birds, small antelopes (dukers) and small monkeys. They hunt both on the ground and in trees. Attacks by these cats on poultry and livestock are not reliably known.
Breeding
In captivity, Catopuma temminckii breeds well. Gestation lasts 75-78 days and they have 1 to 2 kittens. The kittens grow rapidly, their eyes open a week after birth and their mother feeds them with milk for up to 6 weeks. At 18 months of age, they are fully independent.
The kittens live up to 15 years in captivity.
Threats
The African golden cat is threatened by extensive deforestation of tropical rainforests, their conversion to oil palm plantations coupled with mining activities and road building, thus destroying its essential habitat. It is also threatened by bushmeat hunting, particularly in the Congo Basin. A dead African golden cat was offered as bushmeat in Angola's Uíge Province in May 2018.
Conservation
The African golden cat is listed in CITES Appendix II. Hunting African golden cats is prohibited in Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone. In Gabon, Liberia and Togo, hunting regulations are in place. In Gabon, Liberia and Togo, hunting regulations are in place.
The current population of Catopuma temminckii (1996) is estimated at 10,000 individual adults, with no more than 1,000 in each subpopulation. The main threat to them is forest degradation in Equatorial Africa. Hunting of Catopuma temminckii is banned or restricted in all countries. However, pygmy tribes have traditionally valued the tails of these cats as amulets to aid in elephant hunting and their skins as clothing.
