Serval

Leptailurus serval -Serengeti National Park, Tanzania-8

Serval at Auckland Zoo - Flickr - 111 Emergency

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Serval (8373405687)

Serval from back

Servalsmile

Serval (Leptailurus serval) is a wild cat native to Africa. It is known for its distinctive long legs, large ears, and spotted coat, making it one of the most easily recognizable felids on the continent. Servals inhabit various environments, including savannahs, grasslands, and moist areas close to water bodies, but they avoid dense equatorial jungles. This article provides an overview of the serval, including its physical characteristics, behavior, diet, and conservation status.

Physical Characteristics

The serval is notable for its slender body, long legs, and a short tail. Its coat is yellowish-tan to gold with black spots and stripes, which serve as camouflage in the tall grasses of its environment. The serval's large ears are used to detect the faintest sounds, aiding in the location of prey. Adults can weigh between 9 to 18 kilograms (20 to 40 lbs), with a body length of up to 60 cm (24 in) at the shoulder.

Behavior

Servals are solitary animals, with territories that range widely depending on the availability of prey. They are primarily nocturnal but can also be active during the day, especially in cooler weather. Servals communicate through vocalizations, scent markings, and visual signals. They are known for their ability to leap vertically and catch prey such as birds, mid-flight.

Diet

The diet of the serval consists mainly of rodents, small birds, frogs, insects, and fish. They are skilled hunters, using their acute sense of hearing to locate prey before pouncing. Servals have been observed leaping high into the air to catch birds or swiftly digging into burrows to catch rodents.

Reproduction

Servals reach sexual maturity at about 2 years of age. After a gestation period of approximately 73 days, the female gives birth to a litter of one to four kittens. The kittens are born blind and are dependent on their mother for the first few months of their lives. They are weaned at about 5 months old but may stay with their mother for up to a year.

Conservation Status

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) currently lists the serval as Least Concern. However, they face threats from habitat loss due to agricultural expansion and human settlement. In some areas, servals are hunted for their pelts. Conservation efforts are focused on habitat protection and legal protection from hunting.

In Culture

Servals have been kept as pets and in captivity for centuries, sometimes even being worshipped by ancient civilizations. Today, they are sometimes kept as exotic pets, although their wild nature and specific care needs make them unsuitable for most households.