Servals have big ears to aid them in listening out for the slightest movement of rodents in long grass.
In short bursts the Serval is very quick, with their long legs they can jump up to 10ft (3.5m) into the air to catch rising or landing birds. Our two Servals are a father and daughter pair. Zahara, born in 2011 is the complete opposite of her dad Jabari. Where he is confident she is shy, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t afraid to tell him off if he is irritating her or getting too close to her piece of food.
Scientific Name:
Leptailurus serval
Status:
Least concern
Size:
96 to 120 cm
Weight:
8 to 13 Kg
Life Span in Wild:
10 years
Habitat:
Grasslands, forest edge
Diet:
Carnivore
Hares, rodents, birds, reptiles
East, Central and South Africa
Humans
Nocturnal and crepuscular. Mostly solitary. Terrestrial but agile climbers.
Although Serval populations in the wild remain widespread their numbers could be in danger of decreasing in the future due to habitat destruction affecting their prey sources.
