Caracal caracal / Leptailurus serval
Caracal vs Serval
Caracals and servals are medium-sized African cats often confused with each other, but the caracal has plain fur and long black ear tufts while the serval is spotted with very tall legs and huge rounded ears.
By Wildlife Encyclopedia · Updated
At a glance
Published species data from both WildlifeDB profiles, aligned trait by trait. Size metrics highlight the larger value with a relative bar.
- Scientific name
- CaracalCaracal caracal
- ServalLeptailurus serval
- Classification
- CaracalMammalia · Felidae
- ServalMammalia · Felidae
- Native range
- CaracalAfrica, Asia
- ServalAfrica
- Primary habitat
- CaracalGrassland
- ServalGrassland
- Diet
- CaracalCarnivore
- ServalCarnivore
- Typical food
- CaracalRodents, Hares, Hyraxes, Birds, Small antelope
- ServalRodents, Birds, Frogs, Reptiles, Insects
- Body length
- Caracal60 cm – 92 cm
- Serval67 cm – 100 cm
- Shoulder height
- Caracal—
- Serval—
- Weight
- Caracal8 kg – 19 kg
- Serval8 kg – 18 kg
- Top speed
- CaracalFast over short distances; leaps more than 3 m vertically
- ServalFast over short distances
- Wild lifespan
- CaracalAbout 12 years
- ServalAbout 10 years
- Social pattern
- CaracalHunting mainly at night, Leaping to catch birds in flight, Caching or hauling large kills
- ServalHunting mainly at dawn and dusk, Pouncing on prey with a high vertical leap, Rotating the ears to locate hidden prey by sound
- Key adaptations
- CaracalLong black ear tufts used in signalling, Powerful hind limbs built for jumping, Vertical leaps of over 3 metres to swat birds from the air
- ServalLongest legs relative to body size of any cat, Very large ears with acute hearing to detect rodents, High vertical pounce that stuns prey on landing
- Conservation
- CaracalLeast Concern · Unknown
- ServalLeast Concern · Stable
- Reproduction
- CaracalAbout 68 to 81 days (roughly 2.5 months); 1 to 4 kittens (occasionally up to 6)
- ServalAbout 2 to 3 months; 1 to 4 kittens
Overview
The caracal, Caracal caracal, and the serval, Leptailurus serval, are medium-sized wild cats of the family Felidae. Both are slender, long-legged, and built for pouncing on small prey in open country, and the two are sometimes confused in photographs.
The clearest differences are on the head and coat. A caracal has a plain reddish or tawny coat and long tufts of black hair on the tips of its pointed ears. A serval has a pale coat marked with bold black spots and bars, unusually long legs, and very large rounded ears. They are close relatives within the same evolutionary group of African cats, along with the African golden cat.
Size
Both cats are similar in length and weight. Caracals measure roughly 60 to 92 cm in head and body length and weigh about 8 to 19 kg. Servals are a little longer at about 67 to 100 cm and weigh a similar 8 to 18 kg, but they stand noticeably taller because of their long legs.
The serval has the longest legs and largest ears relative to body size of any cat, which suits its habit of listening for and pouncing on rodents in tall grass. The caracal is more powerfully built and stockier, with strong hindquarters for leaping.
Behavior
Both species are solitary, territorial, and mostly active around dusk and at night. Each holds a home range that it marks with scent, and adults come together mainly to breed.
Their signature moves differ. A serval hunts largely by sound, using its huge ears to pinpoint prey before leaping high and pinning it with the forepaws; it has one of the highest hunting success rates among cats. A caracal is famous for explosive vertical leaps of more than three metres to swat birds out of the air, and it relies on acute hearing helped by its tufted ears.
Diet
Both are carnivores that take small prey. The serval focuses on rodents, along with birds, frogs, reptiles, and insects, matching its wetland-edge grassland home. The caracal has a broader menu that includes rodents, hares, hyraxes, birds, and small antelope, and it can tackle prey larger than the serval usually attempts.
Neither cat is a long-distance runner. Both stalk close and finish with a fast rush or leap rather than a chase.
Habitat
The serval favours moist grasslands, reed beds, and wetland fringes across sub-Saharan Africa, where tall grass hides abundant rodents. The caracal is more of a dryland cat, living in savanna, scrub, and semi-desert, and it ranges far more widely, occurring across Africa, the Middle East, and Central and South Asia.
Both are listed as Least Concern, but both face pressure from habitat loss, persecution, and the exotic-pet trade, and servals are also caught up in the breeding of Savannah cat hybrids.