An African cat with long legs, large ears and black spots and stripes on a tawny coat.
The ear backs are black with pale markings. Dark lines from the head along the back break into spots near the shoulders.
At an industrial site in South Africa, cameras recorded an exceptionally dense local serval population. Researchers surveyed the 79.4-km² secondary area around the Secunda Synfuels plant in Mpumalanga, where natural wetlands and grasslands occurred among disturbed vegetation. About 38% of the survey area was classified as relatively untransformed habitat. Researchers set cameras at 34 locations for three 40-day sessions in winter 2014 and summer and winter 2015. The effort totaled 3,590 camera-trap days and identified 61 servals.
Estimated density ranged from 76.20 to 101.21 animals per 100 km², the highest reported for the species in the literature when the paper was published. Servals were recorded most often in wetlands and least often in grassland. The surveys repeatedly recorded servals using wetlands and grasslands in the industrial landscape around the plant.
IUCN Red List · Least Concern (LC) · Global species assessment (Leptailurus serval)
The IUCN Red List global assessment classifies the serval as Least Concern (LC). It was assessed on 20 April 2014 and published in 2019 as an amended version of the 2015 assessment. The record is marked as needing an update.
The 2025 regional assessment covering South Africa, Eswatini and Lesotho lists the serval as Near Threatened (NT), unchanged from 2016. The regional population trend is declining. Assessors cite wetland loss and suspected declines in mature individuals due to snares, persecution or illegal trade.