Serval in Okavango, Botswana | Josh Tough, Audley Travel

Serval

Leptailurus serval

Behavior and diet

The serval cat is known in Afrikaans as Tierboskat, “tiger-backwoods feline”. It has the longest legs relative to the size of its body of all felines. Servals are found throughout sub-Saharan Africa and are known for their beautiful coat, which is a series of black spots that start out close together and slowly space apart as they work their way down the torso. Like most felines, servals are nocturnal and solitary animals. Their primary diet is rodents, but they also eat other small animals such as reptiles, hares and insects. The gestation period for females is around 65 to 80 days, with two kittens being the average litter size.