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Leptailurus serval

(Serval)

Common Names

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Common Names in Dutch:

Serval

Common Names in English:

Serval

Description

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Physical Description

Species Leptailurus serval

The serval is one of seven species of small to medium-sized African cats. It has a slender build with long legs . Its back legs are longer than its front legs. It has a small head , large erect rounded ears and a long neck.

Its coat is yellowish tan with black spots , bands and stripes . The tails has black rings and its underside is white or light tan. The pattern of every serval's coat is different.

A serval weighs between 29 and 41 pounds (13.5 - 19kg). It's body length is 27 -39 inches (70 - 100cm) with an added tail length of about 13 - 17 inches (35 - 40 cm). The height at the shoulder is about 23 inches (60cm). Males are slightly larger than females. Servals are known as good climbers . Except for the shortness of the tail, there is a physical resemblance to the cheetah.

Habitat

Servals are found in many parts of Africa, but not in the equatorial jungles or the Sahara. It is most commonly found in East African savannas , usually near water. They prefer areas of scrub bush , tall grass and dry reed beds that are near streams . They will not be found hunting in an open dry savanna where there is inadequate cover . They have also adapted to higher altitudes in Kenya. Black servals can be found in Kenya's high country provided there is a source of water near by.

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,092 meters (0 to 6,864 feet).[1]

Biome: Terrestrial

Ecology: In Sub-Saharan Africa, servals are found in well-watered savannah long-grass environment and are particularly associated with reedbeds and other riparian vegetation types . This association with water sources means that their distribution is strongly localized over a wide area and within a variety of habitat types. They range up into alpine grasslands, up to 3,200 m in Ethiopia and 3,800 m in Kenya. Servals can penetrate dense forest along waterways and through grassy patches, but are absent from the rainforests of Central Africa. A few records from arid parts of south-western Africa, Ethiopia and Somalia indicate that servals will occasionally make use of sub-optimal habitats (Nowell and Jackson 1996).[2]

List of Habitats: 1.5 Forest - Subtropical/Tropical Dry 2.1 Savanna - Dry 3.5 Shrubland - Subtropical/Tropical Dry 4.5 Grassland - Subtropical/Tropical Dry

Biology

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Diet

They are successful hunters and eat a wide variety of prey , which includes rodents, small ungulates, birds, lizards, frogs and insects. Their success rate is high at about 50% (lions are about 30% successful). They are also well known in East Africa for raiding farmer's poultry. They require a fresh kill and will eat carrion only under extreme circumstances.

Reproduction

Servals will be found together in pairs only for a few days while mating occurs. A litter of 1 - 3 kittens are born in the summer months after a gestation period of 68-72 days. They are born in a lair; however, to protect them, she will move her offspring frequently to new hiding places . This makes observation of the serval's offspring very difficult. Like the cheetah, the mother raises her kittens alone and must leave them frequently to hunt.

When the cubs are large enough to hunt, the mother will drive the males away from the family first. Females will stay together with the mother until they become sexually mature . Then they will be driven away by the mother so they can establish their own territories.

Behavior

Elusive and shy, servals are for the most part nocturnal , hunting by sight and sound more than scent. In areas of Africa where this cat has not been disturbed , they will also be active at dawn and dusk (crepuscular).

It has an excellent sense of hearing and can locate prey that is moving underground. Once it hears its prey, the serval will quietly approach and then leaping, will pounce on it. Often, they will play with their meal before consuming it.

This cat has a number of different vocalizations which include snarling, growling, spitting, purring and a high pitched cry used to call other servals.

Servals lead solitary lives and will establish territories of up to 5 square miles . Marking the territory boundaries by spraying is a continual process . The serval of an overlapping territory is alerted to keep its distance when encountering sprayed markings of another serval. When defending themselves, they will arch their backs and growl loudly.

Taxonomy

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Unambiguous Synonyms

  1. Felis serval Schreber, 1776


Notes

Name Status: Accepted Name . Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 28-Oct-2003

Similar Species

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Members of the genus Leptailurus

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 6 species and subspecies in this genus:

L. serval (Serval) · L. serval constantina (Barbary Serval) · L. serval constantinus (North African Serval) · L. serval liptosticta · L. serval phillipsi · L. serval serval (Serval)

More Info

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Further Reading

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Notes

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Contributors

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 17, 2007:

Identifiers

Footnotes

  1. Mean = 1,080.850 meters (3,546.096 feet), Standard Deviation = 611.320 based on 34 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]
  2. Cat Specialist Group 2002. In IUCN 2008. 2008 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCNRedList.org. Downloaded July 19, 2008. [back]
Last Revised: 2009-11-25