THE AFRICAN SERVAL

Although most servals have golden fun marked with black dots and stripes,
some are pure black.

The name"Serval" comes from the Portuguese
word that means "wolf deer".

Servals weigh up to 40 pounds and are about 26 inches tall.
These cats have small heads, short tails,large oval ears,
and very long legs. Their forelegs are so long that
 they have to lie stretched out  like a dog.

Servals live in grasslands, scrub country, wetlands,
and woodlands. Their primary predators are leopards,
wild dogs, and humans.
They are sometimes hunted for their fur or for food.
Farmers may also kill them to protect their livestock.

Besides livestock, the Serval eats low-flying birds, rabbits, rats,
insects, fogs and lizards
and let's not forget they love fish.
An adult may eat up to 4,000 rodents in a year,
hunting mainly in the early morning and late afternoon.
When stalking it's prey in the
tall grass, it relies completely on sound.
As soon as the Serval detects the slightest movement,
it leaps as high as it can and pounces on it's prey.
Servals are also know to sit at the base of a tree
and when low-flying birds swoop past,
they will leap into the air and snatch the bird in flight.
The Serval is a successful hunter about 50% of the time.

A Serval will begin to mate at about 2 years old.
Females give birth to a litter of 1 to 4 kittens.
The young Servals nurse for about 3 weeks,
and then begin to eat meat.
By the time they are 8 months old,
they are able to hunt on their own.
Servals can live up to 19 years in captivity.