Serval cats
What is a serval cat?
The serval is a wild cat found in Africa. The serval cat has a tall and slender body, with long legs, a small head, and big ears. Their build is well-adapted for hunting in tall grass. Servals have golden-yellow coats covered in black spots and stripes. Their colouring helps them stay hidden in their grassy homes. Their tails are short and ringed.
Serval cats live in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa, especially near wetlands, savannahs, and grasslands. They require habitats with plenty of water and tall vegetation to survive.
These wild cats are medium-sized—larger than a domestic cat but smaller than a leopard. They are around 80 to 100 centimeters (32 to 40 inches) long and their tails add 20 to 30 centimeters (7.8 to 11.8 inches). Servals are not considered big cats like lions and tigers.
They usually weigh around 15 kilograms (33 pounds) and stand about 50 centimeters (19.6 inches) tall at the shoulder. Their long legs make them the tallest of all wild cats relative to body size.
A serval cat’s diet is carnivorous. They primarily eat small mammals, such as rats, mice, and shrews. Occasionally, they’ll also eat birds and reptiles. Like many other wild cats, they are expert hunters. They use their big ears to listen for small animals moving through the grass, and they can even hear rodents burrowing below the ground. The cats silently stalk their prey before pouncing, and can leap 2.7 meters (9 feet) straight up into the air to catch birds. They can also jump forward 3.9 meters (13 feet).
Servals have a 48% hunting success rate, which is higher than other members of the Felidae family. Serval cats sometimes ‘play’ with their food—throwing small mammals or birds into the air or letting reptiles ‘escape’ for a short distance before catching them again.
Serval cats hunt in the early morning and late afternoon, and they rest during the heat of the day. When hunting, they can travel distances of around 2.4 kilometers (1.5 miles) during the day and approximately half that distance at night.
Servals usually live alone, except during mating season or when a mother is raising her kittens. Serval kittens stay with their mother for several months while they learn how to hunt.
Serval cats have no set breeding season, but breeding happens more often during the spring. Females have a gestation period of 10 to 11 weeks before giving birth to a litter of two or three kittens.
These young servals weigh around 250 grams (8.8 ounces) at birth but double their size in the first 11 days of their lives. At five months old, they wean from their mother, but the kittens stay with her for up to a year before establishing their own territory.
The lifespan of the African serval cat is around 10 years in the wild, or an average of 22.4 years in captivity. Though they are not suitable pets, servals are often kept in captivity.
Serval cats play an important role in their ecosystems. By hunting rodents and other small animals, they help keep ecosystems balanced, supporting healthy habitats for many other species.
What is a serval cat’s scientific name?
The serval cat’s scientific name is Leptailurus serval.
The name ‘serval’ likely comes from the Portuguese word for lynx, lobo-cerval, which roughly translates to deer-like wolf.
Are serval cats endangered?
Serval cats are classed as least concern on the IUCN Red List, with stable populations across Africa.
However, there is a small population along the Mediterranean coast where the species is regionally classified as critically endangered. There were fewer than 250 mature individuals here as of the last assessment in 2003.
Where do serval cats live?
Serval cats are found widely across sub-Saharan Africa. You can even find them in mountainous areas—some have been spotted at elevations as high as 3,800 meters (over 12,000 feet).
Servals prefer habitats that offer them cover to hunt and access to water for drinking. They live in grasslands, wetlands, moorlands, and bamboo thickets, where dense vegetation helps them stay hidden from predators and allows them to sneak up on prey. These areas also offer a steady food supply.
Threats
Serval cats face several threats to their ongoing survival in the wild. Habitat loss due to human expansion is shrinking the space servals need to hunt and breed. In some areas, conflict with humans arises when servals prey on poultry or are caught in traps set for larger predators. They are also affected by wildlife trafficking, both for their pelts and for the exotic pet trade.
These threats are putting pressure on serval populations and making it harder for them to survive in the wild.
Habitat loss
Grasslands and wetlands, the habitats where servals thrive, are being increasingly cleared for farming and urban development. As more roads and buildings are constructed, serval cats lose access to important hunting grounds and shelter. Newly constructed fences also break up their habitats, creating fragmented patches that make it harder for servals to find mates and maintain healthy populations.
Habitat destruction also affects the species’ food supply. With fewer small mammals and birds living in these degraded and fragmented areas, servals struggle to find enough to eat.
Human-wildlife conflict
While they mostly hunt wild animals, serval cats occasionally prey on small livestock, especially poultry like chickens. In response, some farmers use inhumane predator control methods, including traps or poison, to kill serval cats. This is a form of human-wildlife conflict.
Servals can also be impacted by predator control methods that aren't targeted toward them but are intended for other mammals.
Wildlife trafficking
Although it is becoming less common, servals are still targeted by wildlife traffickers for their spotted pelts. Their pelts are sold illegally for use in clothing or decoration and are sometimes sold as a substitute for leopard skins.
Servals are poached for use in traditional medicine in parts of West Africa.
Servals also face threats from the exotic pet trade. Poachers capture them, take them from their wild homes, and sell them as pets, especially when they are young. It’s important to remember that serval cats and other wild animals should NOT be kept as pets—whether wild-caught or captive-bred. They have complex physical and psychological needs that can only be met in the wild.
FAQs
What does a serval cat look like?
An African serval cat has a tall and slender body with very long legs—the longest legs relative to body size of any wild cat.
It has a small head with large, rounded ears that help it hear prey in the grass.
Its golden-yellow coat is covered in black spots and stripes, and it has a short, ringed tail. Every part of its appearance helps it to blend into tall grass and hunt effectively.
How big is a serval cat?
A serval cat is larger than a domestic cat, but not as large as their big cat cousins. They grow to about 80 to 100 centimeters (32 to 40 inches) long, with their tails adding another 20 to 30 centimeters (7.8 to 11.8 inches) in length.
They stand around 50 centimeters (19.6 inches) tall at the shoulder and weigh up to 15 kilograms (33 pounds). Their long legs make them look taller and more slender than most other cats their size.
Are serval cats endangered?
Servals are considered least concern by the IUCN.
What do serval cats eat?
A serval cat’s diet consists mainly of small mammals like rats, mice, and shrews, but they also hunt birds and occasionally eat insects, frogs, and lizards.
Servals are skilled hunters with a 48% success rate, higher than that of most other wild cats. Sometimes, servals play with their food, tossing small animals into the air or letting prey run a short distance before catching it again.
Are serval cats dangerous?
Serval cats in the wild are generally not dangerous to humans; they are shy and avoid people whenever possible.
However, like any wild animal, a serval can become aggressive if it feels threatened or cornered. For the safety of yourself and of the animal, it’s best to admire these beautiful cats from a distance and let them stay wild. Servals should never be kept as pets.
How high can a serval cat jump?
They can jump 2.7 meters (9 feet) straight up in the air from a still, standing position, allowing them to catch passing birds. They can also jump forward 3.9 meters (13 feet) to pounce on unsuspecting prey.
How long do serval cats live?
The lifespan of a wild African serval cat is around 10 years. In captivity, they live for an average of 22.4 years. Despite this lifespan disparity, servals’ quality of life is far better in the wild relative to captive environments.
Savannah cat vs. serval cat—what’s the difference?
The main difference is that servals are wild cats, while Savannah cats are hybrids of servals and domestic cats that are bred and marketed as ‘pets’. Because of their wild ancestry, owning Savannah cats is banned or restricted in some countries and regions.
Indeed, Savannah cats also do not make good pets, and they should not be bred or sought for that purpose. They may be destructive and even dangerous, as they retain servals’ wild behaviors and characteristics. Moreover, if they escape or are allowed outdoors, they are particularly destructive to native wildlife populations. Because they are often difficult to care for and to live alongside, Savannah cats are regularly surrendered to already-overburdened shelters and sanctuaries.
Can you own a serval cat?
Serval cats are wild animals—they are NOT pets. Even if raised in captivity, they keep their wild instincts and behaviours. Servals need space to roam, hunt, and live naturally. No human home, no matter how big, can meet their needs.
Keeping a serval cat as a pet is dangerous for both the animal and the owner, and in many places, it’s also illegal. Learn more about the hidden dangers of exotic pets.
Our work
IFAW is dedicated to stopping illegal wildlife trade by reducing demand, combating poaching, working with online platforms to prevent the sale of wild animals, and training law enforcement to safely handle live animals seized in trade—all to protect vulnerable animals like serval cats.
In December 2021, an IFAW-supported wildlife security operation took place in western Uganda, near the border with the DRC. This operation led to the arrest of six suspects and the seizure of many illegal wildlife products, including serval cat skins, elephant ivory, hippo teeth, and buffalo horn. These seizures help disrupt dangerous poaching networks and protect wild animals from further harm.
We also support ranger teams in Kenya and Zambia who stop poachers from taking animals from the wild and bringing them into the illegal trade.
Beyond enforcement, IFAW works to reduce demand for illegal wildlife products through behavior change campaigns. These campaigns aim to highlight the importance of protecting all species and educate consumers about the impact of their choices.
In the US—a destination, source, and transit hub for illegally traded wildlife—IFAW supports sanctuaries that provide a safe, healthy home for abused and abandoned big cats. IFAW also actively promotes laws like the Big Cat Public Safety Act, which helps protect big cats and other wild animals by regulating private ownership and improving their welfare.
Together, these efforts—from fighting illegal trade in Africa to supporting sanctuaries and legislation—help protect serval cats and countless other species, so animals and people can thrive together.
How can you help?
Keeping serval cats as pets may seem harmless, but it actually fuels wildlife crime. When people buy or keep servals illegally, it creates demand that drives poaching and illegal trade. This puts wild populations at risk and harms ecosystems.
By choosing not to support the exotic pet trade and spreading the word about its dangers, you can help reduce demand and protect serval cats in the wild.
To learn more about how wildlife crime threatens animals everywhere, visit our page on wildlife crime and trafficking.
You can also make a real difference by donating to IFAW. Your support helps fund anti-poaching efforts, rescue operations, and education campaigns worldwide. Together, we can stop wildlife crime and ensure that African serval cats—and many other species—can live safely in their natural homes.