| What is a Serval? |
|
The African Serval (felis serval)  You’ll find the African Serval on the grassy Africa Savannah. The Serval is a medium size Wild Cat that can vary from 18 to 24 inches tall and 18 to 45 pounds. Often described as ‘Cheetah like’ with its slender body and black spotted markings, except that the serval has a relatively shorter tail. The servals tail is shorter so that it does not interfere when jumping from a crouched position. A Servals has the longest legs in relation to body size of all the wild cats, giving it a higher position for it ears thus enabling them with a keen and accurate hunting style. It is reported that a Serval can pounce and land on a mouse from 20 feet away! Servals can stretch their neck upward or to the side giving it the appearance of being very long. Their long front legs help the Serval to reach in to rodent holes. The Servals have been associated with Ancient Egyptian so the Serval has been closely associated with man for centuries. It has been reported they were kept as living idols and also served to protect the large amounts of food stored in their granaries. Richard Green, in WILD CAT SPECIES of the WORLD, eloquently describes the Serval as a medium sized elegant looking cat with very long legs, a relatively small head and very large ears. Servals are great fishermen and are not afraid to get wet they can also jump 15 feet vertically to catch a bird in flight. The Serval has a very distinct chirp or call, it actually sounds more like a loud bird call rather than a cat call and tend to grunt when they get overly excited.
Website Designed, Written and Updated by Carly Parker © 2007 |
The Serval in Captivity
