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Leptailurus serval 61666728.jpg · Resized and converted to WebP for display. datadan · CC BY 4.0

Field guide · species

Serval

Leptailurus serval

The serval is a long-legged African cat associated with grassy and wetland-edge habitats. Its proportions support a hunting style focused on detecting and capturing small prey in vegetation.

Public research profile · final editorial review pending.

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Tree of lifeScientific lineage

Advanced classification

Complete source lineage, including intermediate ranks. The standard view uses Life and the eight principal ranks.

cellular organisms cellular root
Eukaryota domain
Opisthokonta clade
Metazoa kingdom
Eumetazoa clade
Bilateria clade
Deuterostomia clade
Chordata phylum
Craniata subphylum
Vertebrata clade
Gnathostomata clade
Teleostomi clade
Euteleostomi clade
Sarcopterygii superclass
Dipnotetrapodomorpha clade
Tetrapoda clade
Amniota clade
Mammalia class
Theria clade
Eutheria clade
Boreoeutheria clade
Laurasiatheria superorder
Carnivora order
Feliformia suborder
Felidae family
Felinae subfamily
Leptailurus genus
Leptailurus serval species

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Physical traits

Large ears, long legs and a spotted coat give it a distinctive outline.

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Habitat and range

Grasslands, reed beds and other covered habitats near suitable hunting grounds are used.

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Diet and nutrition

Small mammals are particularly important, with birds and additional animals supplementing the diet.

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Behavior and activity

Servals listen closely and use leaps or pounces to catch concealed prey. Activity timing can change with local conditions and disturbance.

Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗

Geographic distribution

The Mammal Diversity Database v2.5 records this species in Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Algeria?, Lesotho?.

Scientific source 1 ↗ · Scientific source 2 ↗