# Serval (*Leptailurus serval*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/serval  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The serval (Leptailurus serval), also called the serval cat, is a mammal in the family Felidae, subfamily Felinae, within the order Carnivora. It is a medium-sized, terrestrial and nocturnal carnivore with an adult body mass of 12 kg. Its main foods include african pygmy mouse, duiker, gazella, hyracoidea, lepus capensis, madoqua, rabbit, rattus, great egret and phoenicopterus. The IUCN Red List assesses the serval as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 12 kg |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Height | 54 cm – 62 cm |
| Lifespan | 22.4 years – 23 years |
| Diet | Carnivore |
| Main food | african pygmy mouse, african spoonbill, duiker, eastern rock elephant shrew, eurasian spoonbill, gazella and 8 more |
| Habitat | grassland, wetland |
| Gestation | 71.8 days – 75 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 2.35 |
| Age at maturity | 2.25 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 2.5 |
| Active | At night (nocturnal) |
| Lifestyle | Terrestrial |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Carnivora
- family: Felidae
- genus: Leptailurus
- species: *Leptailurus serval* (Schreber, 1776)

Synonyms: *Caracal serval*, *Felis brachyura*, *Felis capensis*, *Felis serval*, *Felis togoensis*, *Leptailurus serval beirae*, *Leptailurus serval brachyurus*, *Leptailurus serval faradjius*, *Leptailurus serval ferrarii*, *Leptailurus serval hamiltoni*, *Leptailurus serval hindei*, *Leptailurus serval kempi*, *Leptailurus serval kivuensis*, *Leptailurus serval lonnbergi*, *Leptailurus serval mababiensis*, *Leptailurus serval pantastictus*, *Leptailurus serval phillipsi*, *Leptailurus serval pococki*, *Leptailurus serval robertsi*, *Leptailurus serval tanae*, *Leptailurus serval togoensis*

## Common questions

### What kind of animal is a serval?

The serval is a mammal in the family Felidae and the order Carnivora. Its size class is medium, based on adult body mass.

### How heavy is a serval?

An adult serval has a body mass of 12 kg.

### What does a serval eat?

The serval is a carnivore. Its main foods include african pygmy mouse, duiker, gazella, hyracoidea, lepus capensis, madoqua, old world porcupine, rabbit, rattus and african spoonbill.

### Is the serval endangered?

No. The serval is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a serval live?

Sources give a lifespan of 22.4 years for the serval, with values up to 23 years.

### How many young does a serval have?

A serval has 2.35 young per litter and 2.5 litters per year, after a gestation period of 72 days.

### What is the scientific name authority for the serval?

The authority for Leptailurus serval is written as (Schreber, 1776).

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Serval (Leptailurus serval). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/serval