About the African Serval

The African Serval is a medium sized African wild cat that is said to resemble a miniature version of the Cheetah with its tawny coloured coat and inky black spots and stripes. Less common are the melanistic or black Servals, which are found mostly in the mountainous regions, and the servalline spotted Servals which have more of a speckled look and were once considered a separate species. Very rarely are there white Servals born. None have been documented in the wild, only in captivity. Servals measure approximately 3ft. in length and are a slender and strongly built cat with a tail ¾ the length of an average cat’s tail. The female Servals weigh between 15 and 26lbs and the males between 20 and 44lbs. Servals have very long legs, the longest of all cats relative to their body size. Their back legs are longer than their front enabling them to jump vertically to heights upwards of 12 feet. This allows them to catch their prey in the air as well as providing them with the ability to land on their targets stunning or killing them. They have elongated toes and metatarsal bones in their feet, which aid them in digging into burrows and catching concealed prey. The Serval has a very long neck, which allows them to see over the long grasses.

They have very large, upright and deeply cupped ears that act as ‘radars’ allowing them to hear and hone in on their prey long before seeing it and pursuing it.  On the back of their ears are predominant black and white markings referred to as ocelli. This resembles an eye and is used to deceive potential predators or prey. The Serval’s ocelli is also used to signal the kittens when the adults are hunting.  The African Serval’s extreme intelligence and ability to problem solve coupled with their physique has made them one of the most efficient predators.  They catch approximately 50% of their prey, compared to an average of only 34% for many other cat species.

Serval Africa

The Serval is a nocturnal, solitary cat that is native to Africa. They are most commonly found South of the Sahara and their main habitat is the Savanna.  Servals do not generally make their homes within the forests but can be seen along the edges of them.  Their homes are almost always centered near water. Servals are able to climb and swim but do not regularly do either. The diet of a Serval consists primarily of rodents but does include birds, reptiles, hares and other small prey.  Servals purr and make other sounds that are common to both smaller cats and bigger wild cats, but they also make a chirping sound that is much like the sound of a larger bird.  The life expectancy of a Serval in the wild is between 7 and 10 years however, it is up to 25 years in captivity.