Medium-sized African Wild Cats
Three Medium-Sized African Cats
There are three medium-sized African wild cats - the Caracal, Serval and African Golden Cat which weigh up to a maximum of 16 to 19kg and are similar in other body dimensions.
All three cats belong to the Caracal lineage. The Caracal and African Golden Cat are more closely related in the Caracal genus but the Serval is more distantly related and is classed in its own Leptailurus genus.
Each Cat Occupies a Different Niche
All three wild cat species predate on similar prey, however each cat occupies a different habitat thus reducing competition.
The Caracal predominantly occupies savanna and semi-arid habitats; the Serval inhabits grasslands and wetlands and the African Golden Cat is a forest habitat specialist.
Servals and Golden Cats are Endemic
The Serval and the African Golden Cat are endemic to Africa, but the Caracal's range extends through the Middle East and into Asia.
Except for the desert and rainforest regions, both Caracals and Servals are widespread throughout Africa. However, the African Golden Cat only occurs in the rainforests of the central equatorial belt.
Endemic = occurs in only one location
Differences in Coat Pattern
Both the Caracal and the African Golden Cat have mostly plain coats and black backs to their ears, although only the Caracal has the long distinctive ear tufts. The Caracal's ears are also more pointed whereas the African golden Cat's are smaller and rounded. The Caracal's coat ranges from reddish brown in its southern range to lighter brown in its northern distribution. The African Golden Cat's fur is typically reddish-golden (hence the name) however also occurs in grey or silver morphs. Sometimes the Golden Cat's coat is lightly spotted.
In contrast the Serval has a mostly spotted coat on a light-yellow background with some stripes along the back of the neck. All three cats have short tails that do not reach to the ground, plain in the case of the Caracal and the African Golden Cat, but with rings in the case of the Serval. The Serval is well known for its large oval ears, which are also black on the back but with a white ocelli or eye-patch across the center.
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Comparison Chart of the Three Medium Sized African Cats
Here is a comparison chart of various aspects of Caracals, Servals and African Golden Cats:
HABITAT
Mostly scrubby, semi-arid rugged terrain
SIZE
Males 11-17 kg, max 20 kg
Females 9-15 kg
DIET
Mammals
(up to 40 kg antelope)
Birds
Reptiles
Invertebrates
BEHAVIOUR
Solitary, territorial
Primarily nocturnal
Adapted from: Cats of Africa by Bosman and Hall-Martin - Summary of Biological Data Pg 145.
HABITAT
Primary & secondary forest, dense scrub
SIZE
11-18 kg
No data per gender
DIET
Mammals
(up to small antelopes)
Birds
Other prey - tbc
...
BEHAVIOUR
Solitary, territorial
Primarily nocturnal
HABITAT
Well-watered savanna & woodland
SIZE
Males 10-18 kg
Females 9-13 kg
DIET
Mammals - mostly larger rodents
(up to small antelopes)
Birds
Reptiles
Amphibians
BEHAVIOUR
Solitary, territorial
Primarily crepuscular
(active morning and evening)
List of African countries for Caracals, Servals and African Golden Cats
List of African countries where each medium-sized African cat species naturally occurs - according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN 2025.1).
Use the Search bar to find out the following:
- Which cats occur in a certain country - eg South Africa
- How many / which countries does a cat occur in - eg Serval
Use the Sort function (click on column heading) to find out which countries all three cats occur in.
| Country | Caracal | Serval | African Golden Cat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Algeria | Caracal | -- | -- |
| Angola | Caracal | Serval | African Golden Cat |
| Benin | Caracal | Serval | -- |
| Botswana | Caracal | Serval | -- |
| Burkina Faso | Caracal | Serval | -- |
| Burundi | -- | Serval | -- |
| Cameroon | Caracal | Serval | African Golden Cat |
| Central African Republic | Caracal | Serval | African Golden Cat |
| Chad | Caracal | Serval | -- |
| Congo | -- | Serval | African Golden Cat |
| Côte d'Ivoire | Caracal | Serval | African Golden Cat |
| Djibouti | Caracal | Serval | -- |
| DR Congo | Caracal | Serval | African Golden Cat |
| Equatorial Guinea | -- | -- | African Golden Cat |
| Egypt | Caracal | -- | -- |
| Eritrea | Caracal | Serval | -- |
| Ethiopia | Caracal | Serval | -- |
| Gabon | -- | Serval | African Golden Cat |
| Gambia | Caracal | Serval | -- |
| Ghana | Caracal | Serval | African Golden Cat |
| Guinea | Caracal | Serval | African Golden Cat |
| Guinea-Bissau | Caracal | Serval | -- |
| Kenya | Caracal | Serval | -- |
| Liberia | -- | Serval | African Golden Cat |
| Lesotho | Caracal | -- | -- |
| Libya | Caracal | Serval | -- |
| Malawi | Caracal | -- | -- |
| Mali | Caracal | Serval | -- |
| Mauritania | Caracal | -- | -- |
| Morocco | Caracal | -- | -- |
| Mozambique | Caracal | Serval | -- |
| Namibia | Caracal | Serval | -- |
| Niger | Caracal | Serval | -- |
| Nigeria | Caracal | Serval | African Golden Cat |
| Rwanda | -- | Serval | -- |
| Senegal | Caracal | Serval | -- |
| Sierra Leone | -- | Serval | African Golden Cat |
| Somalia | Caracal | Serval | -- |
| South Africa | Caracal | Serval | -- |
| Sudan | Caracal | Serval | -- |
| Swaziland | Caracal | Serval | -- |
| Tanzania | Caracal | Serval | -- |
| Togo | Caracal | Serval | -- |
| Tunisia | Caracal | Serval | -- |
| Uganda | Caracal | Serval | African Golden Cat |
| Western Sahara | Caracal | -- | -- |
| Zambia | Caracal | Serval | -- |
| Zimbabwe | Caracal | Serval | -- |
Where to see Africa's Medium Sized Cats
Although most people visit Africa to see the big cats (Lion, Leopard and Cheetah) there is also a change of seeing these smaller medium sized cats. The chances of spotting them is less than the larger cats and therefore so much more exciting when you do come across one. These days some wildlife tour operators run specialised guided tours to search for the smaller cat species.
The best places are in Africa's national parks, so be sure to ask when you are on safari where and when is a good place to spot the smaller cats. Have a look on BookAllSafaris under National Parks to see a list of parks per country. The southern countries will be good for spotting Caracals, the eastern countries for Servals and the central and western countries for African Golden Cats.