The caracal, or desert lynx, is a creature of the wide-open African savanna which also frequents scattered woodlands. They weigh between 20 and 40 pounds and are between 24 and 30 inches long, excluding the tail. They range across the African savanna belt and as far as the Middle East and sand dune regions of southern Iran. In India, where caracals once sat at the feet of princes, only scant numbers remain. Caracals are swift, powerful cats which can kill prey up to twice their body size, such as the 70-pound reedbuck. They also often feed on small prey, which they kill with repeated whackings with their deadly paws. The caracal is thought to be the fastest of the small cats.