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Public Caracal Sightings Reproduced Key Habitat Patterns From GPS Collars in Cape Town

Caracal resting on sandy ground with head and tufted ears clearly visible
Research · Ecology

Publicly reported caracal (Caracal caracal) sightings in Cape Town, South Africa produced several of the same broad habitat-selection patterns as GPS-collar data, according to a study published on 21 February 2026 in Urban Ecosystems.

Researchers compared 897 verified sightings submitted by members of the public with 14,253 GPS locations from collared caracals on the northern Cape Peninsula. The public sightings covered an 11-year period, while the GPS data came from three years of intensive tracking.

The two datasets differed strongly in how they were collected. GPS collars recorded locations throughout the day at regular intervals, whereas public observations were concentrated at times and places where people were active. Most public sightings occurred while people were hiking, running, cycling, horse riding or driving, and the largest hourly share was recorded between 17:00 and 18:00.

Public sightings reproduced three broad habitat patterns from GPS data

Despite these differences, the two datasets told a similar broad story about habitat use. In both models, caracal use changed in the same direction with distance to the urban edge and coast and with vegetation greenness. Both also indicated greater use of greener areas and areas closer to the coast. Distance from wetlands showed the same directional response in both models, but the relationship was statistically clear only in the GPS data.

Predicted caracal habitat selection in relation to coast, vegetation greenness, urban edge and wetlands
The GPS and public-sighting models showed similar directional responses for several continuous habitat variables. Figure 4 from Simoen et al. (2026), Urban Ecosystems, CC BY 4.0.

Public sightings pointed more strongly to modified areas and covered less of the study area

The datasets differed for some habitat features. GPS data indicated the strongest selection for wildland habitat, whereas the model based on public sightings gave stronger selection for modified areas. The authors caution that this contrast may reflect observer bias rather than a true ecological difference: dense wildland vegetation can make caracals harder for people to detect, while roads, trails and more open modified areas are easier for observers to access. Public observations also covered a smaller part of the study area, and their habitat estimates were less precise than those from the GPS data.

Caracal habitat-use model estimates from GPS collar and participatory science data
The two models were broadly comparable, but estimates from public sightings were less precise and differed from GPS data for some land-use categories. Figure 3 from Simoen et al. (2026), Urban Ecosystems, CC BY 4.0.

In total, GPS locations occurred in 49% of the study area and public sightings in 28%. Nineteen and a half per cent of the 500-m grid cells used in the comparison contained records from both sources.

Verified public observations provided useful broad-scale information about caracal distribution and habitat use, while GPS telemetry remained better suited to fine-scale individual movement. The 11-year public-sighting series also extended the time span covered by the three years of intensive GPS tracking.

Sources and image credit

  1. Simoen, J., Leighton, G. R. M., Woodgate, Z. A., Serieys, L. E. K., Wettlaufer, D., & Bishop, J. M. (2026). The potential of participatory science data for modelling wildlife habitat selection in a rapidly urbanising area. Urban Ecosystems, 29, 64. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11252-026-01905-9Primary peer-reviewed open-access article published 21 February 2026 under CC BY 4.0. The study compared 897 verified public caracal sightings with 14,253 GPS locations on the northern Cape Peninsula; the two approaches agreed for several key habitat predictors but differed in spatial coverage, precision and some land-use responses.

Image: Christiaan Viljoen / Wikimedia Commons / iNaturalist — caracal (Caracal caracal) in Gondwana Game Reserve, Western Cape, South Africa, 25 August 2015; illustrative regional species photograph, not a Cape Town study animal. Cropped for card display. · CC BY 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ · Source

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