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The African golden cat (''Caracal aurata'') is a wild cat distributed in the rainforests of West and Central Africa, and has been categorized as Vulnerable by IUCN. Its body size ranges from , with a tail length of .〔 It is a close relative of both the caracal and the serval. Previously, it was placed in the genus ''Profelis''. ==Characteristics== The African golden cats is about twice the size of a domestic cat. Its rounded head is very small in relation to its body size. It is a heavily built cat, with stocky, long legs, a relatively short tail, and large paws. Body length usually varies within the range . Tail length ranges from , and shoulder height is about . The cat weighs around , with males being larger than females.〔Burnie, D, and Wilson, D. E. (Eds.) (2005). ''Animal: The Definitive Visual Guide to the World's Wildlife''. DK Adult, ISBN 0789477645〕 The African golden cat has variable fur color, ranging from chestnut or reddish-brown, greyish brown to dark slaty. Some are spotted, with the spotting ranging from faded tan to heavy black in color. In others the spotting pattern is limited to the belly and inner legs. Its undersides and areas around the eyes, cheeks, chin, and throat are lighter in color to almost white. Its tail is darker on the top and either heavily banded, lightly banded, or plain, ending in a black tip. Cats in the western parts of its range tend to have heavier spotting than those in the eastern areas. Two color morphs, a red and a grey phase, were once thought to indicate separate species, rather than variations of the same species.〔Guggisberg, C. A. W. (1975). Wild Cats of the world. Taplinger Pub. Co., New York.〕 Despite the wide variation in coat color, pelts of African golden cats can be identified by the presence of a distinctive whorled ridge of fur in front of the shoulders, where the hairs change direction.〔 Overall, the African golden cat resembles the caracal, but has shorter untufted ears, a longer tail, and a shorter, more rounded face. They have brown eyes and small, rounded ears. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「African golden cat」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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