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Weight: 30-40 pounds
Head/Body: 32 inches
Tail: 16 inches
Subspecies: 14
The serval is a lightly built cat, with long legs, large
ears, and short tail. Its coat is light brown with dark spots,
black-tipped tail, and black ears with distinctive white spots. The serval
may be found near water and in the reed beds and marshes of Algeria and
Africa south of the Sahara, where it hunts by night, from the ground, and
seeks rodents, reptiles, birds, and small deer.
The serval's hunting technique is
notable: it will jump into the air to catch birds in flight and batter
them down to the ground. Its large ears allow it to hear rodents
which it can pounce upon.
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