January 8, 2011 by staff 

Serval, Leptailurus serval serval is a medium-sized African wild cat. The modern molecular DNAanlysis indicates that servals maintain their own unique line descendant of the ancestor of cats like the lion, and if the serval share common features with the cheetah, it is the cheetah is thought to be descended from servals old [3]. Similar DNA studies have shown that African golden cat and caracal are closely related to the Serval.

The serval is a medium sized cat, measuring 59-92 centimeters (23-36 inches) long from head of the body, with a relatively short time, from 20 to 38 centimeters (7.9 to 15) the tail and a shoulder height of about 54 to 66 centimeters (21 to 26). Their weight ranges from 7 to 12 kg (15-26 lbs) in females, and 9-18 kilograms (20-40 pounds) in men [4].

There is a strong animal still thin, with long legs and a tail rather short. The head is small relative to the body, and large, oval ears are very close. The reason fur is variable. Usually, the Serval is boldly spotted black on tawny, with strips of 2 or 4 of the top of the head down the neck and back, a transition to stains. The “servaline” form has much smaller spots and freckles, and was once considered separate species. The back of the ears is black with distinctive white bar. In addition, melanin servals are quite common in some parts of the range, giving an appearance similar to the “Black Panther” (melanistic leopard) [4].

White servals have never been documented in nature and only four have been documented in captivity. One was born and died at the age of 2 weeks in Canada in early 1990. The other three, all males, were born at Wildlife on Easy Street in 1997 and 1999. [Citation needed]

The serval is native to Africa, where widely distributed south of the Sahara. It was once also found in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, [4], but were eliminated from Algeria and Tunisia is only due to a reintroduction program [2].

Its main habitat is the savanna, although melanistic individuals are more generally in mountainous areas at altitudes up to 3,000 meters (9,800 feet). The Serval needs watercourse in its territory, so it does not live in semi-deserts or dry steppes. Servals also avoid dense rainforests, although they can be found along the forest boundaries. They can climb and swim, but seldom do so [4].

Servals have always been kept as pets in Africa. The ancient Egyptians worshiped the serval as gods, and pets. More recently they have been kept as pets in North America and Europe. Servals develop a strong emotional bond with their original owners. Often, they will elect a member of the human family, they live to form a bond with a close and intense. However, once they have linked with a particular family of man, servals do not readily accept the new owners and surroundings, and they can become quite miserable if you are separated or placed in other families. For this reason, anyone taking a serval must be prepared at home and keep for the serval all his life.

Source: Wikipedia

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