The serval Leptailurus serval is a wild cat native to Africa. It is widespread in sub-Saharan countries, where it inhabits grasslands, wetlands, moorlands and bamboo thickets.
Across its range, it occurs in protected areas, and hunting it is either prohibited or regulated in range countries. It is the sole member of the genus Leptailurus. Three subspecies are recognised. The serval is a slender, medium-sized cat that stands 54—62 cm 21—24 in tall at the shoulder and has a weight range of approximately 9—18 kg 20—40 lb.
It is characterised by a small head, large ears, a golden-yellow to buff coat spotted and striped with black, and a short, black-tipped tail. The serval has the longest legs of any cat relative to its body size. The serval is a solitary carnivore and active both by day and at night. It preys on rodents, particularly vlei rats , small birds, frogs, insects, and reptiles, using its sense of hearing to locate prey. It leaps over 2 m 6 ft 7 in above the ground to land on the prey on its forefeet, and finally kills it with a bite on the neck or the head.
Both sexes establish highly overlapping home ranges of 10 to 32 km 2 3. Mating takes place at different times of the year in different parts of their range, but typically once or twice a year in an area. After a gestational period of two to three months, a litter of one to four is born. The kittens are weaned at the age of one month and begin hunting on their own at six months of age.
They leave their mother at the age of around 12 months. The name "serval" is derived from lobo- cerval , i. Portuguese for lynx, used by Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in for a spotted cat that was kept at the time in the Royal Menagerie in Versailles ; [ 3 ] lobo-cerval is derived from Latin lupus cervarius , literally and respectively "wolf" and "of or pertaining to deer".
