Serval Leptailurus serval

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The serval’s name is derived from a Portuguese word meaning ‘wolf-deer’. The first impression on seeing these cats 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 numerous small spots which give the animal a ‘speckled’ appearance. The underside is whitish grey or yellowish. Their skull is more elongate than most cats, and has a very 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 ones. In proportion to the rest of their body, servals have the longest legs in the cat family. The ears are broad based, high on the head and close together, with black backs and a very distinct white spot. The tail is relatively short, only about one third of the body length, and has six or seven black rings and a black tip. Melanistic animals often occur in the moist areas of its range.

The two 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 dense vegetation and secondary forests, while the darker serval inhabits grasslands and open savannahs.

Optimum habitat for these cats is well-watered, long-grass savannahs, especially those associated with reed beds and other river vegetation. This has resulted in one small, isolated population in northwest Africa that has likely been isolated for over 6,000 years. Their range extends into alpine areas (3,200 - 3,800 m) in Ethiopia and Kenya.

Servals are usually crepuscular and nocturnal, but will also hunt in the day during the wet season or if feeding a litter. In 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. Radio telemetry studies in the Ngorongoro Crater determined that a male had a home range of about 11.6 square km, and that of the females was 9.5. These values are variable depending where the observations are made, as ranges in South Africa are more than twice this 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 square. km. Females mark about half as frequently but these numbers are still very 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 a 67 - 77 day gestation, one to five, usually two or three, kittens are born in an old burrow, rock crevice, or under a thicket, weighing about 250 grams. Their eyes open in nine to 12 days, and they take their first solid food at three weeks. Independence is achieved at six to eight months. Females take care of the litters on their own, the male does not take any active role. At around 18 - 24 months, the now sexually mature young are chased out of the mother’s home range and forced to disperse. Longevity in the wild has not been reported but servals have lived to 20 years of age in captivity.

Unlike the cheetah Acinonyx jubatus, servals do not use their long legs for speedy chases. Instead, the 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 metres in length. Small animals that break cover are immediately pounced upon. Like the caracal Caracal 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 mole 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 servals will deal with captured prey by raining down blow after blow with their front paws. Their prey is stunned or even killed this way before they risk biting it. Small mammals are their preferred prey, but they also hunt birds, reptiles, frogs and fish.

From over 2,000 observations in 1985, it was calculated that servals were successful in 50% of their pounces. A female with kittens was even more successful (62%). Annually in the Serengeti, each serval eats about 4,000 rodents, 260 snakes and 130 birds. The number of insects eaten was not estimated but would probably be much higher than all the rest combined.

The main predators on servals are leopards, dogs and humans. Their fine markings make them a prime target for poachers, and in 1979 - 80 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 Panthera pardus or cheetah Acinonyx jubatus, which are much more scarce. This pelt trade appears to be domestic for ceremonial, medicinal purposes, rather than for international export.

Wetland conservation is the key to serval conservation. These areas harbour 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 stock killers. However, indiscriminate poisoning campaigns to decrease rodent numbers also poison the carnivores who prey on them.

Unlike most wild cats, servals are not endangered, and CITES has 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, they may slip into extinction before we know they are in trouble.