ALL EARS The serval’s big ears might look silly, but they’re key to the ani- mals’ hunting success. Servals rely on sound more than any other sense when they’re on Weirdest. the prowl. Thanks to their jumbo ears—the biggest of any wild cat’s relative to body size—a serval can hear just about any peep on the savanna. (If a per- son had ears like a serval’s, they’d be as big as dinner plates!) To make the most of their super hearing, THE SERVAL servals avoid creating Cat. noise while hunting. So MIGHT LOOK instead of stalking STRANGE, prey like some cats do, BUT THAT’S A servals squat in clear- ings and sit still— GOOD THING sometimes for several WHEN IT hours—as they listen for food. “On a windless COMES TO day, a quiet serval can HUNTING. hear rodents that are Ever. squeaking many feet underground,” Thiel- BY SCOTT ELDER Bender says. A serval sits patiently in a grassy field, swiveling its head back and forth like a watchful owl. The predator is scanning the savanna for a meal not with its eyes, but with its oversize ears. I A S An unseen rodent stirs under the thick brush, and the wild cat A tenses. It crouches on its legs and feet before launching itself up AFRICA »and over the tall grass. Guided only by sound, the serval lands directly on the once-invisible rat. Thanks to its extra-long legs, stretched-out neck, and huge ears, the serval is sometimes called the “cat of spare parts.” The wild cat ATLANTIC might look weird to some people. “But put together, their bizarre- OCEAN looking body parts make them really Where successful hunters,” says Christine servals INDIAN Thiel-Bender, a biologist who studies live OCEAN servals in their African home. In fact, servals catch their prey in over half of their attempts, making them one of the best hunters in the Servals wild cat kingdom. That’s about 20 can chirp, purr, percent better than lions hunting hiss, snarl, together in a pride. and growl. SERVAL KITTENS STAY Check out six weird WITH MOM UP TO TWO ways servals are the YEARS BEFORE LIVING Take our quiz to see how much you know about ON THEIR OWN. ultimate hunters. wild cats. natgeokids.com/september SUZI ESZTERHAS / MINDEN PICTURES (KITTEN); 12 NAT GEO KIDS • SEPTEMBER 2019 FIONAAYERST / GETTY IMAGES (EARS); MARTIN WALZ (MAP) SEPTEMBER 2019 • NAT GEO KIDS Full-grown servals weigh between 20 and Serval A LEG UP 40 pounds. predators include African wild dogs, Once a serval’s ears have pinpointed prey, hyenas, and their long legs jump in to help catch din- leopards. ner. “Servals look small and delicate,” Thiel- Bender says, “but they’re incredibly agile cats.” Their legs—the longest of any cat when compared to overall size—give them a lot of power. A three-foot-long serval can leap 13 feet horizontally to pounce on a rat, no running start necessary. They can also rocket themselves nine feet up in the STICKING THEIR air to swipe a bird. That’s like you jumping NECKS OUT nearly 21 feet high, as tall as an adult When savanna winds drown giraffe! out the sounds of their prey, The sneaky cat’s ability to pounce from servals extend their giraffe- far away means unsuspecting prey won’t like necks to help them see hear its footsteps or detect its scent. instead of hear. By craning “Most prey don’t even know the serval is their necks over the tall grass coming until they’ve been caught,” Thiel- they’re hiding in, the cats can Bender says. get a better look at their prey. A serval’s neck also helps it pinpoint its pounce. If a serval can only hear its prey, the cat TINY TAILS will leap toward the noise. It Big ears, long legs, and long necks can then use its neck (which is … it would make sense for a serval part of its extra-flexible spine) to have a superlong tail, right? to adjust its direction midair But they don’t! Long tails help after it’s finally gotten a look at animals like red pandas keep its food. The moment before their balance in their tree homes. landing, soaring servals tilt They’re also important for animals their necks down to get a that run longer distances, like better glimpse of their target cheetahs, to control their steering and position their front paws while sprinting. Servals do none of for impact. Most of the time that. In fact, a long tail would get they stick the landing, finishing in the way of their leaping abilities, the prey instantly. so a shorter tail actually helps them survive. Servals vs. Ocelots WHERE THEY LIVE HOW THEY HUNT FOODS THEY LOVE COAT NOTES THEIR NEIGHBORS STATUS Servals and Grassy savanna and Wait in tall grass listening Rodents, small birds, and Golden fur with varied Lions, leopards, Least concern, ocelots are wetlands in parts of for prey to pounce on; amphibians; they almost black spots cheetahs, hyenas population stable; both small, northwest Africa and can swim, but rarely do. never scavenge, or eat exploited by exotic pet solitary, much of sub-Saharan other animals’ leftovers. trade and fur hunters nocturnal SERVALS Africa hunters. Take a look at other ways Tropical forests, shrub- Stalk primarily by sight Rodents, plus bigger Tan to reddish-brown Jaguars, cougars, Least concern, these wild lands, and grasslands in and smell before chasing prey like monkeys; they fur with dark rosettes anacondas but population cats stack up. South, Central, and prey; often swim for regularly scavenge. (rose-like markings) decreasing due North America food. to habitat loss OCELOTS CHECK OUT MORE FUN FACTS ABOUT THE OCELOT. natgeokids.com/september FEDERICO VERONESI / GETTY IMAGES (NECK); DENIS-HUOT / MINDEN PICTURES (LEG); OLE JORGEN LIODDEN / 14 NAT GEO KIDS • SEPTEMBER 2019 MINDEN PICTURES (TAIL); MARTIN HARVEY / GETTY IMAGES (SERVAL); PETE OXFORD / MINDEN PICTURES (OCELOT) SEPTEMBER 2019 • NAT GEO KIDS 15 STRIPES AND SPOTS—SORT OF Some MORE COOL CATS! Excellent swim- Almost every wild cat relies on its ancient Egyptians Shy and rarely seen, many of the world’s smallest wild cats mers, Geoffroy’s coat for camouflage as they stalk kept servals are experts at avoiding attention. Check out some of these cats are often prey and avoid predators. Cats like as pets. lesser known felines caught on camera. spotted crossing cheetahs sport spots, while others, some of South such as tigers, wear stripes. Servals MARGAY America’s fastest- have both—kind of. While they moving streams don’t have actual stripes, some of and rivers. their larger spots blend together GEOFFROY’S CAT to give them the appearance of stripes. “It’s tough to find a serval in high grass when it’s standing ASIATIC still,” Thiel-Bender says. “Their WILDCAT mixed-pattern coat is harder to see than a single-pattern coat.” Margays, native to Central No two serval coats are the and South America, can climb same. In fact, servals that live headfirst down a tree. near woodlands have more dots that are small than those cats that spend time on the savanna; SAND scientists think the smaller Sand cats live in the CAT Asiatic wildcats— spots might hide those cats deserts of North native to several better among the shade of trees. Africa and the Middle countries in South However, white spots behind an East. Thick fur on their Asia—are often adults’ ears are supposed to be paws protect them spotted hiding in seen—they help cubs keep track from the hot sand and abandoned rock crev- of Mom. helps them walk with- ices or burrows built out sinking. by other animals. SERVALS CAN CATCH ASIATIC JAGUARUNDI UP TO 30 FROGS IN BONUS: GOLDEN THREE HOURS WHILE NOT-SO-FANCY FEAST HUNTING IN WATER. CAT Jaguarundis— OK, a diet isn’t a weird body part, but native to servals definitely have odd tastes that southern North help them survive. These cats mostly America, Central dine on rodents—on average, one ser- America, and val eats 4,000 a year—but they’re not South America— picky eaters like some other wild cats. can make at least “Servals will eat anything small enough 13 distinct calls, for them to catch,” says Thiel-Bender, more than most who’s examined the contents of serval Asiatic golden cats other wild cats. poop. “I was surprised to find grass - are known as fire hoppers and snakes, as well as rodents. tigers in the Other cats don’t typically eat such a Southeast Asian RUSTY-SPOTTED CAT wide variety of animals.” Servals also countries of often eat birds, from small ones like Myanmar and weavers to larger storks and guinea Thailand. fowls. They’ll even wade into water to Servals are gobble up frogs and other amphibians. solitary animals— Also unlike most other wild cats, except mothers servals turn up their noses at other India and Sri Lanka’s that are predators’ leftovers. “It’s probably rusty-spotted cat is raising babies. because they’re already such success- about one foot long (not ful hunters,” Thiel-Bender says. “They including its tail) and don’t need to go looking for another weighs three pounds. PERSONALITY QUIZ: WHICH WILD CAT ARE YOU? animal’s meal.” natgeokids.com/september MARY MCDONALD / MINDEN PICTURES (STRIPES AND SPOTS); GERARD LACZ / SCIENCE SOURCE (BONUS: NOT-SO-FANCY FEAST); JIRI VACLAVEK / SHUTTERSTOCK (RUSTY-SPOTTED CAT); KEITHSZAFRANSKI / GETTY IMAGES (MARGAY); SEBASTIAN KENNERKNECHT / MINDEN PICTURES (GEOFFROY’S CAT); ROD WILLIAMS / PARDOFELIS PHOTOGRAPHY / ALAMY (JAGUARUNDI).