Leptailurus serval

(Schreber, 1776)

Vernacular names
English : Serval
French : Serval

Classification
Class : Mammalia
Order : Carnivora
Family : Felidae
Notes : 7 subspecies currently accepted but taxonomic revision underway. Up to 19 subspecies have been described.

Identification
Body length of 92 cm, tail length of 38 cm, weight of 13.5 kg. Unmistakable, small head with large ears, very long legs, slender body. Fur is tawny to beige with black dots, black lines on shoulders. Black and white markings on ears.

Range and habitat
The species in most of subsaharan Africa, from Senegal to Ethiopia, south to eastern South Africa. Isolated population in north Morocco and Algeria. Lives in all kinds of grasslands and savannas, always in association with water.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN
CITES : Appendix II
Status : This species remains fairly common in many parts of its range but has declined in west and south Africa because of habitat loss and hunting.
Ex-Situ Programs : SSP in America

Observation

 

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