# What Do Caracals Eat?

> What caracals eat: Carnivore — rodents, hares, birds, and small antelope, foraging style, and seasonal shifts in Savannas, scrub, dry forests, and rocky hills.

- **Species:** Caracal (*Caracal caracal*)
- **Conservation status:** Least Concern
- **Diet:** Carnivore — rodents, hares, birds, and small antelope
- **Habitat:** Savannas, scrub, dry forests, and rocky hills
- **Lifespan:** 12–15 years in the wild (longer in captivity)
- **Top speed:** Up to 80 km/h (50 mph) in short pursuit
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/caracal/what-do-caracal-eat/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/caracal/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The caracal is a medium-sized wild cat with distinctive black ear tufts, long legs, and a short tail, capable of leaping more than 3 metres to snatch birds in flight. Found across Africa, the Middle East, and into India, it hunts rodents, hares, and small antelope in open country.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a captive feeding plan from a veterinarian. This page is wild diet, not a pet-care sheet.

## Spectacular leaping hunter

Caracals are famed for knocking down multiple birds with a single leap — historically featured in falconry displays in India and Persia. Powerful hind legs launch them vertically; they also hunt on the ground by stalking and short sprints.

## Help protect the Caracal

Caracals are persecuted as livestock predators and lose dry-country habitat across Africa and Asia.

[Donate to habitat protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/appeals/habitats/)

---
Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/caracal/what-do-caracal-eat/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.