Length:91 to 135 cm (41 to 61 in) Weight: 9 to 18 kg (20 to 40 lbs) Height: 40 to 65 cm (16 to 26 in)
The Serval's name is derived from a Portuguese word meaning wolf-deer. The first impression on seeing this cat is one of extremes elongated neck, very long legs, and very large ears on a small, delicate skull. It is easy to see the deer part of the name.
Their coat is pale yellow, with black markings consisting either of large spots that tend to merge into longitudinal stripes on the neck and back, or of numerous small spots which give the animal a speckled appearance. The underside is whitish-gray or pale yellow. Their skull is more elongated than most cats, and has a vary high sagittal crest. The serval's eyes are yellowish, the pupils contract into a spindle-shape in bright light. There is a dark stripe above and at the corner of the eye. The hind legs are longer than the front to help with jumping. In proportion to the rest of its body, the serval has the longest legs in the cat family. The ears are broad based, high on the head and close together, with black backs and a distinct white spot. The tail about three-quarter length, about one third of the body length, and has black rings and a black tip. Melanistic animals often occur in the moist forest areas of its range. There have also been reported a few white servals.
The different types of markings originally caused the two to be classed as separate species, with the large spotted cats called servals, and the speckled variety called servaline cats. It has since been found that the small spotted servaline occurs in a fairly dense vegetation and secondary forests, while the darker serval inhabits grasslands, bush and open savannahs.
Optimum habitat for these cats is well-watered, long-grass savannah; especially those associated with reed beds and other river vegetation types. They are absent from the rainforest, and will use arid areas only in extreme conditions. This has resulted in one small, isolated population in northwest Africa (Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria) that has likely been isolated for thousands of years. Their range extends into alpine areas (3,200 to 3,800 m) in Ethiopia and Kenya.
Servals are usually nocturnal, but will also hunt in the day during the wet season or if feeding a litter. During the heat of the day, they often rest in abandoned aardvark burrows or under a shady bush. They are excellent climbers, and take to the trees in emergencies. The home range of a male in Ngorongoro Crater is about 11.6 square km, and 9.5 for females. These values are variable depending where in their range the observations were made, as ranges in South Africa are more than twice this documented size. Both sexes mark and hold their territories. Males mark their territory very frequently, spraying up to 46 times per hour or 41 times per sq. km. Females mark about half as frequently but these numbers are still high.
Social interactions between the sexes are limited to short periods when they travel and rest together. As the female comes into heat these periods become more frequent and prolonged. After 67 to 77 day gestation, one to four, usually two or three, kittens are born weighing about 250 grams. Their eyes open at 10 to 14 days, and they take their first solid foods at three to five weeks. Independence is achieved at six to eight months. Females take care of the litter on their own, the male does not take any active role in raising the kittens. At around 18 to 24 months, the now sexually mature young are chased out of the mother's home range and forced to disperse. Two peak periods of births are observed in Uganda and eastern Zaire March/April and September/November. Longevity in the wild has not been reported but servals have lived to 20 years of age in captivity.
Unlike the cheetah, the serval does not use its long legs for speedy chases. Instead, the long legs lift them up on miniature stilts. They are used in the long grass or reeds as the serval moves along in a series of high antelope-like leaps, from one to four meters in length. Small animals that break cover are immediately pounced upon. Like the caracal, with whom they share much of their range, servals use vertical leaps to catch birds and insects in the air, using either a clapping of the front paws or a downward blow with one or both paws. At night or in dense grass, they rely on sound alone to pinpoint the target. For this, their large ears are especially useful.
Servals may use their long, loose digits to hook rodents out of burrows. They have been observed waiting beside the burrows of animals such as moles rats and when the rat came near the entrance, they hooked it out and flung it high into the air in a single smooth movement. It has been suggested they locate the mole rats by listening to their underground movements. Frequently the serval will deal with captured prey by raining down blow after blow of its front paws. Their prey is stunned or even killed this way before the cat risks biting it. Small mammals are their preferred prey, but they also hunt birds, reptiles, frogs, fish, and insects.
The main predators on servals are leopards, dogs, and mostly humans. Their fine markings make them a prime target for poachers, and in 1979/1980 a total of 3,478 pelts were recorded as being traded. How many more were not recorded, or were traded under some other name cannot be known. Serval skins are also sold as young leopard or cheetah, which are much more scarce. This pelt trade appears to be primarily domestic for ceremonial, medicinal purposes, or tourist oriented rather than for international commercial export.
Wetland conservation is the key to serval conservation. These areas harbor high rodent densities, and form the core area of serval home ranges. Of secondary importance is degradation of grasslands through annual burning, followed by over grazing. Some African tribes consider their flesh a delicacy. Servals occasionally kill domestic poultry, but the amount of this predation does not appear to be a problem. The serval's preference for rodents actually benefits farmers, and they are not as actively hunted as other wild animals.
Unlike most wild cats, the serval is not currently considered endangered, and CITES has listed them on Appendix II. They are not protected over most of their range, although hunting is prohibited in 9 of the 41 range countries. The danger in this is the assumption that a viable, healthy population exists, and without continued study and controls on the fur trade, this little cat may slowly slip into extinction before we are aware they are in trouble.
African Servals are sometimes called the poorman's Cheetah. Servals are used to create the hybrid Savannah which is a cross between a Serval and a Domestic. Most breedings are done with the female being the domestic.
Great care is needed so that no animal gets hurt when creating a hybrid. Having the animals grow up together with the domestic being a few months older is one that has worked for many breeders.
Servals also enjoy snuggling and the company of humans. But, Servals are not known to be lap cats. They do enjoy lying next to their owners and giving head-butts. They can be vary loyal cats and have dog-like tendencies (following, playing fetch, and doing some tricks).
The exotics seem to have a real attraction to plastic so keep all plastic bags and rubber gloves under lock and key.
We are not a breeder of Servals or Savannahs. We have our serval for comparison to other small cats to research needs and diet. But you can check out
City of Gold (cityofgold-1.com)
From our breeding and research center
If you would like to contact us:Cocoa@cocoaspride.com
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(Colette Griffiths)