Serval. Information about the wild Serval cat including a description on Serval cats, Serval cat habitat and origins, diet and typical Serval cat hunting techniques.

Desription

The serval cat is a medium sized wild cat from the savannas of Africa. The serval cat is about 27 to 40 inches long and weighs 20 to 28 pounds.

The serval has a small but long head and large rounded ears marked with black and white stripes on the back of the ear.

The serval cat has extraordinarily long legs for its body size standing up to 20 inches in shoulder height.

The fur colour is sandy to reddish brown at the base and is covered with dark spots which tend to merge into stripes along the top of the back.

Noticable variations throughout regions are apparent. Servals from wetter areas show finer markings, while those from drier regions have larger and bolder spotted markings.

Habitat

Serval cats range from dry open grasslands to woodland savanna and even to the moister areas around the equatorial rainforests.

They are also found in the grassy uplands of central Africa's mountainous regions. The serval is commonly found in most parts of Africa except the desert regions around the Sahara.

The serval cat is primarily a day hunter but nocturnal hunting is found to be common in areas closer to human habitation.

Although the serval is a medium sized cat it's prey tends to center on smaller mammals such as hare, rodents and birds. In wetter areas frogs will make up a large portion of the serval's diet.

Hunting Techniques

The serval is a specialised hunter and has very sophisticated hearing to assist it in its task of hunting its small prey.

The long legs of the serval allow the cat to see over the tall savannah grasses for signs of movement of their prey.