Species Information

The Serval is a slender, long-legged, spotted cat with big, oval, upstanding ears with black and white markings. It has dark longitudinal stripes on the neck and shoulders breaking up into spots over its back. It weighs 19-42 lb. (8.7-19 kg). Its body is tawny to russet above and pale below while some forms have uniformly mall dots over the entire body like the one shown above.

The Serval, Caracal and Wild Cat make up the group of small to medium-sized cats of East and South Africa. They are not as well-known as the large cats, probably because they are smaller, mainly nocturnal and solitary.

They are common on the savannas where there is plenty of water. They seem to prefer areas of bush, tall grass and dry reed beds near streams, but are found in high-altitude moorlands and bamboo thickets.

These small cats are mainly nocturnal, but even in the daytime it can be difficult to see them in tall grass. They hunt by sight and sound more than scent. With its acute hearing, a cat can locate prey that is moving underground. If hunting prey above ground, it raises its head above the grass and listens for movement. Once a sound is located, it stealthily approaches, then leaps and pounces and often plays with its catch before eating it.

They eat a great variety of prey, including birds, snakes, lizards, frogs and insects, and are notorious poultry raiders. They are quite successful hunters, catching an average of 50 percent of all prey hunted; they seldom eat carrion.

Wild cats like this lead solitary lives and come together in pairs only for a few days when the female is in heat. Kittens, born in litters of two to four, are difficult to observe as the mother hides them well and frequently changes the hiding place.

Information Source: African Wildlife Foundation and the National Audubon Society Field Guide to African Wildlife