Cape Serval
Encyclopedia
The Cape Serval is an extinct subspecies of Serval
that had once resided in Africa.
. They cannot be found in arid desert regions, tropical rainforests, or near the Western tip of South Africa
, and are almost always found near water.
Generally, they do not like to confront each other, but can occur when home territories overlap. Servals will often take cover and hide when surprised. When confronted, they may hide using sudden directional changes and leaping.
Servals are primarily crepuscular. Their peak activity times are between ten to eleven o'clock, deep into the night, and four to five in the early morning.
Hunting and taking care of the litter is mostly what the female serval does during her day. While she is out hunting, the unprotected kittens are hidden in a den built with tall, thick grass. Mothers will hunt for male kittens only until they are able to hunt on their own. The mothers will hunt for the females for a longer time.
Serval
The serval , Leptailurus serval or Caracal serval, known in Afrikaans as Tierboskat, "tiger-forest-cat", is a medium-sized African wild cat. DNA studies have shown that the serval is closely related to the African golden cat and the caracal...
that had once resided in Africa.
Habitat
The Cape Serval was found in savannas throughout AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. They cannot be found in arid desert regions, tropical rainforests, or near the Western tip of South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, and are almost always found near water.
Physical description
Servals have the longest ears and legs, relative to the size of their bodies, in the cat family. Their body length can be as big as 1 meter in length, their tail can grow to the length of 45 centimeters, and their shoulder height can be up to 62 centimeters. Males are generally larger than females. Their long legs lets them see over the tall grasses in the savannas, allowing them to follow their prey easier. The auditory bullae and pinnae inside their ears are enlarged to help them detect the presence of prey that emit high frequency sounds. Their ears are rounded with white stripes on the back. The pelage of the Cape Serval is a reddish-brown with many dark spots that may merge and form into stripes on the back. Servals that live closer to wet spots have more detailed markings on their body and those living near dry spaces have large, bold spots.Reproduction
Not much is known about the mating of Servals, but it is not seasonal. From time to time, males and females may rest and hunt together for several days. Gestation lasts anywhere from 65 to 75 days. On average, 3 Servals are born from each litter.Behavior
Servals are solitary animals that mostly communicate by urine spraying and rubbing saliva on objects such as rocks or trees. They can also communicate using shrill cries, growling, and purring.Generally, they do not like to confront each other, but can occur when home territories overlap. Servals will often take cover and hide when surprised. When confronted, they may hide using sudden directional changes and leaping.
Servals are primarily crepuscular. Their peak activity times are between ten to eleven o'clock, deep into the night, and four to five in the early morning.
Hunting and taking care of the litter is mostly what the female serval does during her day. While she is out hunting, the unprotected kittens are hidden in a den built with tall, thick grass. Mothers will hunt for male kittens only until they are able to hunt on their own. The mothers will hunt for the females for a longer time.