The serval has the longest legs compared to body size of any of the cat family. Their neck is also long and these two combined make it easier for the Serval to see over the long grass of the savannah. It also has large ears and uses these to listen out for rodents (its main prey), it will often stop for up to 15 minutes while hunting just to listen for its prey. It is an incredibly efficient hunter with a much higher than average success rate compared to most other cats. They are normally boldly spotted on a tawny background. Black Servals are known, but are usually found in the mountainous areas, while white Servals are only heard of in captivity.

90% of a Serval’s prey usually weighs under 200g because they are fantastic rodent catchers, they will eat other prey if the opportunity arises and this includes reptiles, insects, fish, birds and also some larger prey like small antelopes. Once they have found their prey they pounce on their prey hitting them with their fore feet. The Serval can be both a nocturnal or diurnal creature, it depends which area they live in and the habits of their main prey in that area.