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8 summaries matching “caracal” in Taxonomy & Systematics
Research overview: biogeography and subspecies of the caracal
OverviewThe caracal ranges widely across Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and into India, and this broad distribution has produced named subspecies and biogeographic questions. This overview surveys car…
Research overview: color morphs and variation in the African golden cat
OverviewThe African golden cat is notoriously variable in coat color, ranging from reddish-golden to grey, with spotted and nearly plain individuals, which historically caused taxonomic confusion. This overvi…
Research overview: from Profelis to Caracal, reassigning the African golden cat
OverviewThe reassignment of the African golden cat from the genus Profelis to Caracal is a clear example of molecular phylogenetics overriding morphology-based generic classification. This overview traces the…
Research overview: placement of the African golden cat in the caracal lineage
OverviewThe African golden cat was historically placed in its own genus, Profelis, but molecular phylogenetics revealed it belongs to the caracal lineage, prompting reclassification. This overview explains ho…
Research overview: the eight lineages of living cats
OverviewMolecular phylogenetics partitions all living cats into eight monophyletic lineages, a framework that now organizes felid taxonomy. This overview names and characterizes them: the Panthera lineage (bi…
Research overview: the genus revision uniting caracal and African golden cat
OverviewMolecular work prompted a revision in which the African golden cat moved from Profelis into Caracal, formally becoming Caracal aurata. This overview examines the evidence and reasoning behind the chan…
Research overview: the serval and its place in the caracal lineage
OverviewThe serval, a long-legged African grassland cat, is the third member of the caracal lineage alongside the caracal and African golden cat. This overview reviews its taxonomic placement in the genus Lep…
The late Miocene radiation of modern Felidae: a genetic assessment
PaperThis influential study reconstructed the molecular phylogeny of all living cat species and dated their diversification, establishing the framework of eight major felid lineages used ever since. Using…
Johnson WE, Eizirik E, Pecon-Slattery J, et al. · Science · 2006