The Serval is a slender animal, with long legs and a fairly short tail. Their longish oval ears are set close together. The pattern of their fur is variable. Melanism an increased amount of black or nearly black pigmentation is known to exist in this species, giving a similar appearance to the black panther.
White servals are white with silvery grey spots and have only occur in captivity. Servals have relatively the largest ears and the longest legs in the cat family. Their feet are actually elongated rather than their legs. They have long necks and their heads are small and slim. Their coat is tawny-gold in colour and marked with round black spots. Generally the spots are large and they tend to merge into longitudinal stripes on the neck and back.
Sometimes there are numerous small spots, giving a speckled appearance. The tail of the serval is short, down to the hocks. It is tipped with black and is spotted and ringed.
A servals ears are black with central white bars. Their skulls are distinctly elongated and the upper anterior premolars are present. Although the Serval is highly specialised for catching rodents, it is an opportunistic predator whose diet also includes hares, hyraxes, birds quails, flamingoes, quelea and teal , reptiles, insects, fish and frogs.
The Serval eats very quickly and if its food is big enough, it sometimes eats too quickly, causing it to regurgitate the food because of clogging in the throat.
Serval cats range from dry open grasslands to woodland savanna and even to the moister areas around the equatorial rainforests. The Servals main habitat is the savanna, although melanistic individuals are more usually found in mountainous areas.
Servals can pounce with greater accuracy than some other cats. Springing from the ground with all four legs, they'll come crashing down on a victim, pinning it beneath the forepaws and then killing the hapless critter with a powerful bite. Horizontally, servals can cover 12 feet almost 4 meters in a single bound. Birds in midflight aren't safe around hungry servals; the cats can pluck them right out of the air.
Jumping also helps servals corral grounded prey. By bouncing up and down repeatedly, servals frighten little animals into abandoning their hiding spots.
Going airborne has the added benefit of helping the cats assess their surroundings. But whether they're flying high or standing still, servals are pretty darn observant. Thanks to the species' elongated neck , a serval that's standing on all fours can hold its head 30 inches 75 centimeters off the ground.
Certain targets, once detected, are easily dispatched with calculated pounces. Servals can also use their long arms to yank wriggling fish out of rivers and drag rodents from deep burrows.
Snakes require a different approach; servals handle the legless reptiles by kicking them to death. Leptailurus serval needs a healthy ecosystem to survive. In the span of a single year , one of these cats may kill and devour about snakes and 4, rodents. Though servals won't turn down the occasional flamingo, stork or young antelope dinner, they typically hunt animals weighing 7 ounces grams or less. Besides all the prey items we've already mentioned, servals are wont to gobble up crabs, insects, frogs and lizards.
If ours is a dog-eat-dog world, it's a cat-eat-cat world, too. Leopards are among the serval's few natural predators. As are hyaenas and wild dogs. Much like leopards and cheetahs, most servals have yellow-brown fur with black markings.
Learn more about this highly intelligent cat. Coat Length Coat Length Coat Length hairless long short. Pattern Pattern Other Traits Traits Other Traits easy to groom easy to train friendly toward humans friendly toward other pets friendly toward strangers good for first-time pet owners good lap cat high potential for weight gain high prey drive highly territorial hypoallergenic low prey drive prone to health issues requires lots of grooming strong loyalty tendencies tolerates being alone tolerates being picked up.
Temperament Temperament Temperament affectionate bold neurotic shy sociable. Savannah cat stands inquisitively in grass.
No, that's not a jungle cat. Savannahs have the muscular bodies and spotted coats of their serval ancestors, but underneath are friendly, loving house cats. Golden Savannah kitty plays with fluffy toy on couch. Don't expect Savannahs to be a lap cat. While loving, they're highly active felines who want to keep their paws and mind!
Portrait of Savannah cat with yellow eyes in front of tan background. Living Needs. Striped Savannah kitten portrait with blue eyes. Tan and black Savannah cat sits on arm of armchair. Profile shot of Savannah cat sitting on wooden indoor steps.
Left: Savannah kittens need to be socialized to bring out their friendly demeanor. Otherwise, she might be a little scared or suspicious of strange humans, animals, and situations when she grows up. Center: Because of her big brain, a Savannah cat needs constant mental stimulation. Make sure she has access to interactive toys, regular playtime, and playmates. Clicker training will keep her happy, too!
Right: Curious Savannah cats can leap 8 feet high, so you might find them exploring high-up places in your home. They can also clear fences with ease, so never leave your kitty outside unsupervised. Savannah Cat Sitting on a Bed. Browse Tags Convert About. Humans Animals Plants. Furniture Fixtures Layouts Buildings. Transport Sports Digital Pop Culture. Serval 3D Model. Where did felines originate? Felines can be traced back to 37 million years ago and are native to almost every region except for Australia and Antarctica.
Smaller cats specifically can be traced back to western Eurasia about 10 million years ago. The domestic cat originated in ancient Egypt and Near East and was domesticated about 10, years ago. Which felines live in groups? Lions are the only felines that truly live in groups called prides. In prides all the females are related and live with the pride for life. A pride typically consists of 5 or 6 female lions, their cubs, and 1 or 2 male lions that mate with the female lions.
Cheetah males may gather in bachelor groups temporarily. What is the biggest feline species? The biggest feline species is the liger, the hybrid of the lion and tiger that was developed by breeding a male lion and a female tiger.
The liger weights about lbs kg and can reach a length of 11 to 12 feet 3. Tail Length:.
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