Serval
Leptailurus serval
Featured Servals
Hobie
Santana
Description and Behavior
The serval’s coat color is pale yellow, marked with black spots on sides, back, neck, and shoulders. They have long, slim legs, an elongated neck, and large ears – all attributes that make it well suited for hunting in tall grass. Servals have better hearing than the other small cats – used to pinpoint prey items. Instead of trying to locate their prey using sight, the servals locate prey in the tall grass or reeds primarily by hearing. To kill their prey, servals use a high leap to strike their prey, preventing its escape. A single pounce may be 3-12 feet long and up to 3 feet high. They will also jump 10 ft vertically to catch birds or insects by clapping forepaws together. They are largely crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk) or nocturnal. Males and females have separate home ranges, with males’ generally overlapping two or more females’.
Prey
Small mammals, especially rodents, are preferred. Also hunts birds, fish, insects, and reptiles, especially adept at hunting snakes. Do not generally take larger prey items (like the caracal).
Habitat
Well-watered savannah, long grass ecosystems, particularly associated with riparian areas (along rivers). Distribution strongly localized to water sources throughout Africa. Absent from rainforests.
Range
Sub-Saharan Africa, relict (a remnant population of an otherwise extinct population) populations found in Atlas Mountains of Morocco, northern Tunisia, and Algeria.
Biology
| Weight | |
| Reproductive Season | not seasonal, but peak birth rates correlate with wet seasons, when prey densities are highest.
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| Gestation Period | 73 days
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| Litter Size | 2-3 kittens on average
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| Age at Independence | |
| Sexual Maturity | 1.5 to 2 years for both sexes
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| Longevity | Up to 19 years (in the wild)
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| Social Structure | Solitary, except for breeding season or when raising kittens
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Principal Threats
Loss of wetlands and other water habitats. Pelts often traded as cheetah or leopard pelts, but doesn’t seem to be an international trade. Some farmers report predation on livestock – but problem animals are easily trapped and relocated.
Role in Environment
One study calculates that an adult serval will kill and eat around 4,000 rodents per year; so they are actually very beneficial to farmers.
Servals can also be very effective in controlling venomous snake populations. Farms tend to attract rodents which then attract snakes. Servals will keep the rodent population under control and therefore keep the venomous snake under control. The servals will also feed on the snake themselves.
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