Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge

Information may not be reliable

Caracal Felis caracal

With recognizable black tufts above their ears and a beautiful reddish-brown coat, the caracal can be found throughout Africa. Their name comes from the Turkish word karakal, meaning "black-eared." Also called the Desert lynx, caracals are very similar to the true lynx. Caracals have long slender legs that are perfect for leaping and jumping. They have been known to jump up to 10 feet vertically to catch birds mid-air. Their eyes have a distinctive black line running down to their nose, and their chins and bellies are white. On average caracals weigh 35-40 pounds and stand 17 inches tall. It has been said that the Desert lynx is the fastest feline of this size. Caracals can be found in dry areas (hence the term desert lynx) all over Africa, the Middle East and Asia; however, the numbers have been dropping throughout Asia. Their habitats include: dry woodlands, acacia scrub, mountain areas, and savannahs. Largely nocturnal, the caracal hunts by night. Preying on mostly rodents, birds, dik-diks, fawns, and antelopes, the caracal will sometimes drag their prey into trees to avoid competition. They are very solitary animals, occasionally they will form small groups consisting of adults and young. Their estimated lifespan in the wild is 16-17 years.

Bobcat Lynx rufus

Bobcats, a close relative to the lynx, get their name from their noticeably bobbed tail. Their coat color varies in color from shades of brown to grey. Their markings form light to dark spots, as well as small to large streaks. Bobcats range from 9 to 35 pounds, and can grow up to 43 inches in length. They have small tufts on the tips of their ears, much less noticeable those found atop the ears of the lynx. Like all small cats, the bobcat has vertically slit pupils which can exclude more light making hunting at night much more important.
The bobcat hunts small prey, mostly rabbits, rodents, and birds. Occasionally they will hunt larger prey, such as deer. Typically the bobcat will kill their prey and then drag it to a secluded area to consume it. The bobcat is a very adaptable cat, living in brush, forest, semi-desert, and even desert habitats. The hills, rocks, and caves of their habitats lend themselves well to hunting, shelter, and nurseries. The trees, grasses, and bushes hide the bobcat as they stalk prey. The range of the bobcat is great; they can be found from southern Canada, all of the way to central Mexico. They are solitary, like most cats, but the males range may overlap slightly with that of other male bobcats.
The biggest threat to bobcats, and most other species of wildcat, is habitat destruction. Other threats include hunters, predators, and the trade of skins.

Cougar (puma concolor)

The cougar is known by many names, such as the puma, mountain lion, catamount or panther. Despite their large size, the cougar is not a true big cat. The cougar is a member of the felidae family, as opposed to the panthera family as of the tiger and lion. The major difference between the two families is the panthera familys ability to roar. Felidae cats can not roar, instead make noises such as purrs, hisses, chirps and screams. These solitary felines are native to the Americas, and have the greatest range of any wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. Their natural habitat spans from the Yukon of Canada down as south as the Andes mountain range in South America. An individuals range can be anywhere from 60 to 380 square miles.
The largest of the small cats, cougars can weigh 90 to 150 lbs and reach about 8 feet in length from nose to tail. They have proportionally the most powerful hind legs of any cats, attributing to their powerful jumping ability of 18 feet vertically and 20 to 40 feet horizontally.
Cougars are born with dark spots and blue eyes, both of which they lose with maturity. The tawny colored fur of adult cougars helps them blend in with rocky and mountainous habitats and better equips them for stalking prey. Their primary food staple varies with region, but all cougars will eat nearly what ever they can catch. Cougars in Canada and northern United States eat large prey such as elk and deer. The farther south the cats live the smaller the prey becomes, such as rabbits, mice and porcupine.
Cougars are wild animals, and though they avoid attacking humans in most circumstances, are still deemed dangerous and should never be kept as pets. The best and most healthy place for a cougar is in its natural habitat away from the influences of man.

Mountain Lion (puma concolor)

The mountain lion is known by many names, such as the puma, cougar, catamount or panther. Despite their large size, the mountain lion is not a true big cat. The mountain lion is a member of the felidae family, as opposed to the panthera family as of the tiger and lion. The major difference between the two families is the panthera familys ability to roar. Felidae cats can not roar, instead make noises such as purrs, hisses, chirps and screams. These solitary felines are native to the Americas, and have the greatest range of any wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. Their natural habitat spans from the Yukon of Canada down as south as the Andes mountain range in South America. An individuals range can be anywhere from 60 to 380 square miles.
The largest of the small cats, mountain lions can weigh 90 to 150 lbs and reach about 8 feet in length from nose to tail. They have proportionally the most powerful hind legs of any cats, attributing to their powerful jumping ability of 18 feet vertically and 20 to 40 feet horizontally.
Mountain lions are born with dark spots and blue eyes, both of which they lose with maturity. The tawny colored fur of adult mountain lions helps them blend in with rocky and mountainous habitats and better equips them for stalking prey. Their primary food staple varies with region, but all mountain lions will eat nearly what ever they can catch. Mountain lions in Canada and northern United States eat large prey such as elk and deer. The farther south the cats live the smaller the prey becomes, such as rabbits, mice and porcupine.
Mountain lions are wild animals, and though they avoid attacking humans in most circumstances, are still deemed dangerous and should never be kept as pets. The best and most healthy place for a mountain lion is in its natural habitat away from the influences of man.

Puma (puma concolor)

The puma is known by many names, such as the mountain lion, cougar, catamount or panther. Despite their large size, the puma is not a true big cat. The puma is a member of the felidae family, as opposed to the panthera family as of the tiger and lion. The major difference between the two families is the panthera familys ability to roar. Felidae cats can not roar, instead make noises such as purrs, hisses, chirps and screams. These solitary felines are native to the Americas, and have the greatest range of any wild terrestrial mammal in the Western Hemisphere. Their natural habitat spans from the Yukon of Canada down as south as the Andes mountain range in South America. An individuals range can be anywhere from 60 to 380 square miles.
The largest of the small cats, pumas can weigh 90 to 150 lbs and reach about 8 feet in length from nose to tail. They have proportionally the most powerful hind legs of any cats, attributing to their powerful jumping ability of 18 feet vertically and 20 to 40 feet horizontally.
Puma are born with dark spots and blue eyes, both of which they lose with maturity. The tawny colored fur of adult puma helps them blend in with rocky and mountainous habitats and better equips them for stalking prey. Their primary food staple varies with region, but all pumas will eat nearly what ever they can catch. Pumas in Canada and northern United States eat large prey such as elk and deer. The farther south the cats live the smaller the prey becomes, such as rabbits, mice and porcupine.
Pumas are wild animals, and though they avoid attacking humans in most circumstances, are still deemed dangerous and should never be kept as pets. The best and most healthy place for a puma is in its natural habitat away from the influences of man.

Lion - Panthera leo

Often recognized as the king of the jungle, the Lion is most certainly an example of predatory perfection. Adult lions may range from 250-550 pounds in weight, and 55-98 inches in body length. Adults are a solid-colored shade of brown, and cubs are born with spots that gradually fade with maturity. While all lions share similar physical traits, they are unique in that they exhibit sexual dimorphism. Easily distinguishable from the lionesses, male lions typically have a thick mane and are generally larger in size than their female counterparts. Lions mainly inhabit south-central African plains, woodlands, savannah, and scrub habitats. They are adept swimmers when necessary and have been known to climb trees to get off of the ground, but tend to avoid these activities. Lions are readily social creatures, living in prides of approximately 15-20 members. These prides are comprised of mostly female lionesses and cubs, with usually only a small number of males present. The females do most of the hunting and are responsible for raising the cubs. Cubs learn to hunt on their own at around one year old. Living in these large communal groups works to aid the lions territory defense, group hunting, and protection of cubs from other predators. Solitary lions are also quite opportunistic hunters, scavenging many of their meals from kills left behind by other various predators. Lions life span in the wild is typically 12-14 years, while those in captivity may live up to 20 years of age.

African Lion - Panthera leo

Often recognized as the king of the jungle, the African Lion is most certainly an example of predatory perfection. Adult African Lions may range from 250-550 pounds in weight, and 55-98 inches in body length. Adults are a solid-colored shade of brown, and cubs are born with spots that gradually fade with maturity. While all lions share similar physical traits, they are unique in that they exhibit sexual dimorphism. Easily distinguishable from the lionesses, male lions typically have a thick mane and are generally larger in size than their female counterparts. Lions mainly inhabit south-central African plains, woodlands, savannah, and scrub habitats. They are adept swimmers when necessary and have been known to climb trees to get off of the ground, but tend to avoid these activities. African Lions are readily social creatures, living in prides of approximately 15-20 members. These prides are comprised of mostly female lionesses and cubs, with usually only a small number of males present. The females do most of the hunting are responsible for raising the cubs. Cubs learn to hunt on their own at around one year old. Living in these large communal groups works to aid in territory defense, group hunting, and protection of cubs from other predators. Solitary African Lions are also quite opportunistic hunters, scavenging many of their meals from kills left behind by other various predators. The African Lions life span in the wild is typically 12-14 years, while those in captivity may live up to 20 years of age.

Serval - Felis serval

The African Serval is a small but feisty exotic cat. Often resembling a small version of the cheetah, the Serval is characterized by a coat of yellow fur full of dark spots an in many cases dark rings around the legs and tail. The Serval has almost disproportionately large, round ears atop its head, and long, slender legs. The Serval is typically found in the south-central and south-coastal regions of Africa, inhabiting streamside, grassland, and wetland areas usually among the reeds. African Servals prey on a variety of smaller wetland animals such as birds, fish, rats, frogs, and even some larger insects. The Serval is an especially efficient hunter, catching its prey on nearly 50% of attempts, a much higher percentage than most other cat species. Aiding in the hunt, the Serval can leap up to 13 feet horizontally and 4 feet high to catch airborne prey. Weighing in between 20-45 pounds, the Serval is approximately 25-40 inches in body length, and may live up to anywhere between 12-20 years of age. The Serval is able to swim and climb, but rarely does either. The African Serval population now suffers in some areas of South Africa due to human cultivation of land, and it is also hunted for its pelt.

Tiger Panthera tigris

As the largest member of the cat family, the tiger captivates humans with its bright orange coat and astonishing black stripes. The chin, neck and underbelly of the tiger is white or cream colored. They range from 250-650 pounds, and reach 4.5 to 9.5 feet in length. The females are typically a little more than half the size of the males. The tiger lives in a variety of habitats, though they require an abundant water source, access to prey, and foliage in which to camouflage and seek shelter. Their stripes work by breaking up their bodys outline, making it hard to define them amongst the jungle grass. This works well for a tiger on the attack. Tigers are stalk and ambush hunter, they are built with stamina to stalk for miles and the ability to have short bursts of speed to kill. They eat a variety of deer, pig, and cattle. A tiger can eat up to 90 pounds at one sitting, and will come back to munch on their prey for up to 6 days after their kill.

Bengal Tiger Panthera tigris tigris

There are 8 recognize subspecies of tigers; however, 3 are now extinct. There are many variations in coat color, size, weight, and markings in accordance with each subspecies. The Bengal tiger is the most common of the tigers. They reside in India where they are still highly endangered. The Bengal tiger is the only subspecies of tiger than can produce white tiger cubs. Commonly mistaken as the Siberian tiger, all white tigers, captive and wild, are actually Bengal tigers.

Siberian Tiger Panthera tigris altaica

There are 8 recognize subspecies of tigers; however, 3 are now extinct. The remaining five are: the Bengal tiger, Siberian tiger, Sumatran tiger, Indo-Chinese tiger, and the South Chinese tiger. There are many variations in coat color, size, weight, and markings in accordance with each subspecies. The Siberian tiger is the largest of all tigers and therefore the largest living cat. They are found in Siberia and Manchuria. The Siberian tiger has the fluffiest and most dense coat of the tigers.

Amur Tiger Panthera tigris altaica

There are 8 recognize subspecies of tigers; however, 3 are now extinct. The remaining five are: the Bengal tiger, Amur (Siberian) tiger, Sumatran tiger, Indo-Chinese tiger, and the South Chinese tiger. There are many variations in coat color, size, weight, and markings in accordance with each subspecies. The Amur tiger is the largest of all tigers and therefore the largest living cat. They are found in Siberia and Manchuria. The Amur tiger has the fluffiest and most dense coat of the tigers. The Amur tiger is also known as the Siberian tiger.

Indo-Chinese Tiger Panthera tigris corbetti

There are 8 recognize subspecies of tigers; however, 3 are now extinct. The remaining five are: the Bengal tiger, Amur (Siberian) tiger, Sumatran tiger, Indo-Chinese tiger, and the South Chinese tiger. There are many variations in coat color, size, weight, and markings in accordance with each subspecies. The Indo-Chinese tiger can be found in Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, and Vietnam. Not much is known about this specific species, but it appears that the Indo-Chinese tiger has the longest skull of all tigers.

Sumatran Tiger Panthera tigris sumatrae

There are 8 recognize subspecies of tigers; however, 3 are now extinct. The remaining five are: the Bengal tiger, Amur (Siberian) tiger, Sumatran tiger, Indo-Chinese tiger, and the South Chinese tiger. There are many variations in coat color, size, weight, and markings in accordance with each subspecies. The Sumatran tiger is the smallest of the tiger subspecies and can be found in the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
The Sumatran tiger is critically endangered with fewer than 400 left in the wild.

There are 8 recognize subspecies of tigers; however, 3 are now extinct. The remaining five are: the Bengal tiger, Amur (Siberian) tiger, Sumatran tiger, Indo-Chinese tiger, and the South Chinese tiger. There are many variations in coat color, size, weight, and markings in accordance with each subspecies. The South Chinese tiger is the more critically endangered of all subspecies of tiger. They can be found in southern China, though less than 30 South Chinese tigers are predicted to be left in the wild.