At Londolozi we are blessed with incredible big 5 sightings. One thing we don’t see very often are Serval!
We had just witnessed a phenomenal lion hunt and were on our way back to camp, delighted at the evening’s sighting. All of a sudden out of nowhere a Serval leapt 4 feet into the air bounding head first into the grass. In the spotlight it looked almost mystical!
The Serval is one of the most delightful animals you will ever see; spots that resemble a cheetah somewhat and long legs contrasted by a short tail. A nocturnal animal specialized for catching rodents. Large pronounced ears indicate how importanthearing is for this medium sized African wild cat as it leaps around the long grassed open plains.
Serval peering through the long grass
The mood was cheery on the car as we weaved our way around Nyamankunzi Crest. That was the very first time I had ever seen a Serval and I was so excited at seeing this beautiful cat.
This is lovely, pity it was not more clear. How does this compare with the Rooikat?
Such abeautiful animal to see. and such a rare sighting.. i think i was just a tiny little kid when i saw my first serval, in Kruger Park. Early morning out of the gate and just a glimpse of this rare cat in the headlights on the side of the road. then gone!
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Hi Cecile, the Rooikat is the afrikaans name for the Caracal. The best thing would be to look on the internet for a picture of the Caracal to compare it to the photo seen here of the Serval. You will see that the caracal is also a beautiful cat but with a reddish coat and spindly black ears. Both cats are beautiful and both very rare in this area.