Serval (Leptailurus serval) Fact Sheet: Distribution & Habitat

Africa (from IUCN 2008 unless otherwise noted)

• Primarily sub-Saharan Africa
• Not found in tropical rain forests and the Saharan desert
• Isolated population in North Africa
• Small populations reported recently north of Sahara in Morocco and northern Algeria
• Separated from sub-Saharan populations for thousands of years (Nowell & Jackson 1996)
• Some have been reintroduced in Tunisia
• Regionally extinct in South Africa
• Formerly along coastal belt in Cape Province South Africa; occasional reports continue (Henley 1997; Stuart 1985)

Grassland inhabitant (from Sunquist & Sunquist 2002 unless otherwise noted)

• Well-watered savannas (IUCN 2008)
• Especially common near reed beds and other riparian habitats (IUCN 2008)
• Alpine grasslands (Nowell & Jackson 1996)
• Tolerant of cold; present in regions receiving frost and snow
• Require regions with sufficient grass
• In forests where there are grassy patches
• Not in rain forests

Tolerant of agricultural development (from Bowland 1990)

• Present in areas with sufficient water and refuge
• Human presence encourages rodent populations

In North Africa

• Inhabit humid scrub and mixed woodlands

Elevation range

• Up to 3,800 m (12,467 ft) (Nowell & Jackson 1996)

Serval distribution.

Adapted from www.d-maps.com according to IUCN fact sheet. Click here or on map for detailed distribution (IUCN).

Bowland (1990)
Henley (1997)
IUCN (2008)
Nowell & Jackson (1996)
Sunquist & Sunquist (2002)