Adelaide Zoo
As a conservation charity, every visit, adoption, donation and ticket helps save species from extinction

Animal Facts

  • Genus:

    Leptailurus
  • Species:

    Leptailurus serval
  • Conservation
    Status:

    Least Concern

  • Found In:

    Africa
  • Length:

    67-100cm
  • Weight:

    8.7-18kg

Meet the stunning Serval!

Adelaide Zoo is home to Kali, the regal Serval.

Female Kali was born at Wellington Zoo on 14 December 2006 and joined us at Adelaide Zoo in February 2009. She’s a feisty feline, but she’s also an incredibly attentive mother.

Kali has had four litters of kittens who have since moved onto other institutions and are having kittens of their own.

Native to the savannahs of Africa, the Serval prefers wetlands and well-watered long-grass habitats.

The Serval is a tall, slender cat with the longest legs relative to body size of any cat species. These long legs make Servals incredible jumpers, able to leap more than six metres from a stationary position. Servals have huge ears set close together which they use to listen for prey. Their hearing is so acute they can even here a mouse burrowing underground.

They are adventurous animals and unlike a lot of cat species, they love to climb and play in water! Servals are also very intelligent and possess remarkable problem-solving abilities. They usually eat small rodents and birds, but aren’t afraid to hunt snakes for food.

Servals are protected in many countries as their numbers have dwindled due to habitat destruction and fur hunting.

Love Servals? Join our wild family to help Servals stay a pounce ahead of extinction! There are many ways you can help support these cool cats.

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