Leptailurus serval

Order: Carnivora > Family: Felidae > Genus: Leptailurus > Species: Leptailurus serval

Type Description

Die Saugethiere, 3(16):pl. 108 [1776]; text 3(23):407 [1777].

Type Locality

'Ostindien und Tibet in gebirgegen Gegenden, vielleicht auch am Vorgebirge der guten Hofnung und dem heissern Afrika'; restricted by J. A. Allen (1924) to the 'Cape region of South Africa'.

Measurements

Head and body: 670-1000 mm
Tail length: 240-350 mm
Weight: 8.7-18 kg

Description

The serval is recognizable by the large ears, relatively long legs and a tail that is shorter than 1/2 the length of the head and body. It is the smallest of the spotted cats of Tanzania.

Distribution

Distributed throughout Africa south of the Sahara except in the rainforests of central Africa and the Kalihari desert in the southwest and also in one small, restricted area of northern Morocco, Leptailurus serval is found in grassy savannas, subalpine habitats like bamboo and forest, montane mosaics of moorlands, and grassy glades. (Kingdon, 1989, 1997)

Key References

1. Kingdon, J. 1989. East African mammals: An atlas of evolution in Africa. (Carnivores). University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 3A:318-329. 2. Kingdon, J. 1997. The Kingdon field guide to African mammals, AP Natural World Academic Press, Harcourt Brace & Company, San Diego, p. 279-280.
3. Nowak, R. M. 1999. Walker's Mammals of the World. Sixth ed. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1:793-800, 811.
4. Swynnerton, G. H., and R. W. Hayman. 1951. A checklist of the land mammals of the Tanganyika Territory and the Zanzibar Protectorate. Journal of the East African Natural History Society, 20(6):274-392.