Serval (Leptailurus serval)
The Serval wild cat is one of the three cats in the Caracal family of cats and its closest relatives are the Caracal and African Golden Cat. All three of these cats are medium-sized and occur predominantly in Africa.
The Serval cat is a medium sized, spotted African wild cat, often confused with leopards and cheetahs due to their similar coat patterns and coloring.
With its long legs and large ears the Serval is well adapted to hunt small rodents in grassland and wetlands; habitats which are under increasing threats due to loss and degradation.
Servals have the longest legs and largest ears relative to their body size of all the cats and their wild populations are endemic to Africa.
Watch a fascinating video clip made by the Smithsonian about the Serval and its unique adaptations.
Serval Cat Articles
Serval - The Cat on Spring Loaded Stilts
“The serval (Leptailurus serval) is a medium size cat that looks somewhat like a cross between a tall cheetah a a large house cat. In reality, they belong to the “caracal lineage” of the Felidae family, along with caracals and African golden cats, though their peculiar shapes, spotted colouration and missing ear tufts set them apart from the other two species.
Servals have the longest legs in proportion to their bodies of any of the cat species and a tawny-gold coat dotted with a mixture of spots and stripes.
Like caracals, their tails are relatively short in comparison to other cat species.
There are rare sightings of melanistic servals, particularly in East Africa, and leucistic individuals have been born in captivity.”
Image credit and full article: https://africageographic.com/stories/serval/
High carnivore population density highlights the conservation value of industrialised sites
“We conducted the first assessments of the density of serval (Leptailurus serval) at the Secunda Synfuels Operations plant, South Africa, using camera trap surveys analysed within a spatially explicit capture recapture framework.
We show that servals occurred at densities of 76.20–101.21 animals per 100 km², which are higher than previously recorded densities for this species, presumably due to high abundance of prey and the absence of persecution and/or competitor species.
Our findings highlight the significant conservation potential of industrialised sites, and we suggest that such sites could help contribute towards meeting conservation goals.”
Image credit and full article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-34936-0
Rarely seen black serval spotted in Kenya
“Black servals have become something of a holy grail for photographers and naturalists traveling to East Africa where the elusive wild cats are known to roam in higher numbers than elsewhere across the continent.
While records of the pitch-black felines are more abundant in this part of the world, catching a glimpse of one is no easy feat. For wildlife photographer Johan van Zyl finding a black serval in the wild had become a "borderline obsession".
On a recent foray in Kenya's Amboseli National Park, van Zyl – led by local guide Ken Leyian – was lucky enough to find his sought-after prize and managed to record a few seconds of footage to prove it:”
Image credit, full article and the video at: https://www.earthtouchnews.com/natural-world/natural-world/watch-rarely-seen-black-serval-spotted-in-kenya/
Zoology - Understanding the Animal World
Do you want to know more about Zoology? I think we all know it is the study of animals but what exactly does it entail?
Wondrium (Great Courses Plus) is a streaming service of educational lectures. They have a video series on Zoology that introduces the subject and gives a basic understanding of zoology and animal conservation. It is presented by experts from the Smithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.
Sample video 16: Carnivore Mammals: Feline, Canine and Ursine
"Lets turn now from herbivores to carnivores like lions, tigers, bears, wolves, cats, and dogs. Among the many insights you'll learn are the different ways carnivores evolved to walk and capture prey, as well as their evolutionary history, which stretches back to tree-dwelling animals that lived 50 and 60 million years ago...."
Wondrium has a free trial of 14 days, so you can easily cover this series in that time with 1-2 videos a day. Watch the trailer here.
This series is also ideal for anyone considering a career in Zoology, so please forward this information to anyone you know that could benefit.
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