Serval cat Uganda is one of the most elegant small wildcats in Africa, the tall-eared spotted hunter of grassland and wetland margins occasionally seen in Uganda’s national parks at dawn and dusk. The serval is a slim, long-legged wild cat with very large ears and a spotted golden coat. It hunts in tall grass and marshy ground, listening for rodents and pouncing on them in a high, arching leap. Servals have one of the highest hunting success rates of any cat. In Uganda they live in Kidepo, Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth and Lake Mburo, and are seen mostly early in the morning, late in the afternoon or on night drives.

Serval Cat Uganda: The Tall-Eared Grassland Hunter Facts

How servals hunt

A serval stands still in tall grass, turning its large ears to pinpoint the sound of a rodent, then springs up and lands on it with its front paws. It can also leap straight up to knock birds out of the air and reach into burrows with its long legs. Rodents make up most of its diet, along with birds, frogs, reptiles and insects.

Habits

Servals are solitary and hold territories marked with scent and urine. Females raise two or three kittens in dense cover. They are not rare across Africa, but they are shy and well camouflaged, so sightings are a matter of luck. Wetland drainage reduces their habitat.

Where to see it

Look in tall, damp grassland on early drives in Kidepo, Murchison and Queen Elizabeth. The gorilla permit costs US$800, or US$600 in April, May and November. See our guides to Kidepo game drives, Murchison Falls animals, Queen Elizabeth and night game drives.

Frequently asked questions

Distribution and Habitat in Uganda

The serval is found in Uganda’s savannah national parks — Murchison Falls, Queen Elizabeth, Lake Mburo, and Kidepo Valley — in grassland, wetland margins, and bush bordering forests. It is nowhere common but is regularly recorded in areas with dense grass cover near water where its primary prey, small rodents, are abundant. In Queen Elizabeth National Park, the Kasenyi area and wetland margins around the smaller lakes produce occasional serval sightings. Lake Mburo’s combination of grassland and wetland edge is productive habitat. The serval is largely nocturnal and crepuscular.

Hunting Technique

The serval’s most distinctive hunting behaviour is its extraordinary listening and pouncing ability. Its oversized ears — the largest relative to skull size of any cat — allow it to locate small rodents in dense grass by sound alone with remarkable precision, even under snow (in montane zones) or in papyrus stems. The serval locates its prey acoustically, then pounces with a high, arching leap that pins the animal with both forefeet simultaneously. This technique achieves a hunting success rate of 50-60% — higher than lion or leopard — and the serval can catch prey in dense cover that would be inaccessible to larger, sight-dependent cats.

Appearance

The serval is immediately identifiable by its very long legs, very large oval ears, golden-yellow coat with black spots and stripes, and small head relative to body size. The long legs are an adaptation for moving through tall grass. The serval is about twice the size of a domestic cat.

Conservation Status

The serval is classified as Least Concern by the IUCN. Uganda’s population is stable. The serval is occasionally persecuted for poultry predation near park boundaries and is targeted by the illegal pet trade, though neither threat is significant at a national level.

Serval and Caracal: Uganda’s Grassland Cats

The serval and caracal are Uganda’s two medium-sized grassland cat species, and while neither is common or easy to see, both are regularly recorded in the savannah national parks. The caracal — a robust, tawny cat with long black ear tufts — prefers drier, rockier habitats and is most frequently recorded in Kidepo Valley National Park, while the serval is more associated with moist grassland and wetland margins and is seen most often in Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls. Both species are strictly nocturnal and almost never seen on day game drives. Night drives in the national parks offer the best chance — listen for the distinctive ‘cough-bark’ of the caracal and watch for eyeshine in the grass margins.