Serval: The High-Jumping Cat of the Grasslands

The serval is one of the most elegant small cats in Africa. With the longest legs relative to its body of any cat, huge ears and a spotted golden coat, it stalks through tall grass and wetlands, listening for rodents, then leaps high into the air to pounce on them. Watching a serval hunt is one of the special sightings of a safari.

Identification

Servals are slender, medium-sized cats with long legs, a small head, very large rounded ears and a short, black-ringed tail. The coat is golden-yellow with bold black spots and stripes. Some servals in highland areas are entirely black. The caracal, another medium-sized cat, has a plain reddish coat and black-tufted ears; the cheetah is much larger.

How it hunts

Servals hunt mainly rodents, along with frogs, birds, reptiles and insects. They move slowly through long grass, stopping to listen with their large ears, which can pinpoint the sound of a rodent underground or in thick cover. Then they spring up in a high arc and come down on the prey with their front paws. They can also leap to catch birds taking off. Servals have one of the highest hunting success rates of any cat.

How it lives

Servals are solitary and territorial. They favour grassland near water, reed beds and wetlands, and they are active at dawn, dusk and night, though they are often seen hunting in the early morning or on cloudy days.

Where to see servals

Servals are seen fairly regularly in the Ngorongoro Crater, especially around the marshes, and in the Serengeti, the Masai Mara, the Aberdares and the grasslands around Nairobi. Early morning game drives give the best chance.

Read our guides to the caracal and the African wildcat.

Big Five Wildlife planning team

We plan private safaris across Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda, and write from time spent in these parks.