African serval. Home serval

If you have always dreamed of having a real wild beast in a miniature, the African serval will be an excellent choice. And to become the owner of such an animal is very prestigious, because these seals are on a par with purebred horses. However, as regards content, the serval does not require any special conditions: this beast is very unpretentious and has a noble character, which makes it an excellent pet. We suggest today to get acquainted with this amazing animal.

African cat serval: description

This animal externally is a long-legged slender, strong cat of medium size. The nearest relatives of the serval are the lynx and caracal. Characteristic features of the appearance of this cat are very long strong paws and disproportionately large ears with rounded tips. The African serval has a small head with an elongated muzzle and a broad nose and a short tail that does not reach the ground. The eyes of the breed are fairly large, and the pupils in adult animals are round. The claws of the serval are crescent shaped and, like the domestic cats, they are drawn into the pads of the feet.

As for the dimensions, the African serval is larger than the usual "Murki" and "Vaska". So, the height at the withers of these wild seals is from 40 to 65 centimeters. The body length reaches 90-130 centimeters, and the tail - 30-45 centimeters. Serval weight can vary between 8-18 kilograms.

For these African seals is characterized by color in the form of dark spots and bands on a yellow-gray background. In this case, the breast, muzzle and stomach are white. And the color of these animals varies depending on the habitat. So, in the mountainous areas one can meet completely black representatives of the breed, and in conditions of captivity, white servals with silver-gray spots were born several times.

When communicating these animals use different types of vocalizations, among which growling, purring, shrill cries and others.

Area and habitat

I was sick of Africa. On this continent, it is found almost everywhere except for the Sahara desert, southern regions and the equatorial forest zone. In nature these animals prefer to settle in open spaces with thickets of grass and shrubs not far from sources of fresh water. But the deserts, rainforests and dry plains African serval tries to avoid.

Lifestyle

For the most part, these representatives of the cat family are active in twilight. So, they go out hunting late in the evening and early in the morning. However, sometimes you can find a serval hunting down prey in the daytime. Thanks to their long paws, these wild seals move easily and noiselessly through the tall grass. An excellent rumor helps them to easily track even small prey. In addition, the serval can jump to a height of up to three meters, which allows it to shoot down birds that fly from the ground. These animals prefer not to chase after the victim, but to creep up to her in the tall grass, and then, after making one big leap, grab it with claws and knead it under him. Also, the serval easily digs out of the burrows of a variety of rodents. These seals perfectly climb trees and swim. In general, you can safely call servala an excellent hunter. So, according to statistics, two-thirds of his attacks end with the catch of prey.

As for the natural enemies of Servala, they are wild dogs, leopards and hyenas. In addition, these magnificent animals are often victims of man. At moments of danger, the African serval prefers either to hide or to flee.

Social structure

African servals lead a solitary lifestyle, merging into pairs only during the breeding season. Males of these animals are very territorial. So, the area of their individual sites can be from 40 to 70 square meters. Kilometers. In this case, females fix a much smaller area - 2-9 square meters. Kilometers.

Reproduction of African Serval

During the mating season, the female and male are combined in pairs. They hunt together and rest together. It is interesting that males of this species can mate with both caracals and ordinary domestic cats, resulting in the appearance of hybrids. In anticipation of childbirth, the female servala settles in an old burrow hole or builds a nest in dense high grass. Pregnancy in the representatives of this species lasts from 65 to 75 days. In one litter, two or three cubs appear. When small males begin to hunt independently, the mother expels them from their territory. Samochki remain with the parent much longer. Sexual maturation in servalov occurs at the age of one and a half to two years.

Serval at home

These amazing seals are more often found today as pets. There is a myth about the danger of serval for a person, but this opinion is not based on any real facts. After all, in nature, small animals and birds are the victims of these representatives of the cat family. Man, rather, acts as a natural enemy, rather than potential prey. In this regard, the cat will not under any circumstances attack his master and his family members. Therefore, such an exotic beast can be kept even in a house where there are children. A representative of this breed is quite possible to get, even if you already have a cat, a domestic serval, most likely, quickly find a common language with it, especially if you took him for education at an early age (it is recommended to take 1.5-2 month old kittens) . It is interesting that these people from Africa with their habits often more like dogs, so you can walk with them on a leash. In addition, the serval will be happy to bring you a ball or other abandoned toy. Also they are very gentle beings who love affection and attention, as, indeed, all domestic cats.

With regard to feeding, in the wild, the serval feeds mainly on rodents and small birds. At the maintenance of the house their diet should consist of raw meat with bones - beef and chicken. On the day, these seals can eat from 400 grams to 1.5 kilograms of food. In addition, servalam should be given vitamins with calcium supplements.

These people from Africa have very good health. However, in urban conditions, they need to be vaccinated, like all other animals. As for life expectancy, on average, it ranges from 15 to 20 years.