JuJu, African Serval, with daughter, Elsa, F1 Savannah.

(JuJu is a mature adult in this photo and Elsa is 4 months.)

This is a great example of the first generation from the wild Serval, bred to a domestic.

Elsa’s posture, movements, markings and behaviors mirror her wild father splendidly.

The Serval inhabits the plains and forests of several African countries and the large spotted coat is perfect camouflage for the grassland region. However, there are other variants in coat found in the Serval as well. The Servaline pattern is much less common and seems to be the pattern of Servals in heavily forested areas with dense coverage in habitat – thus a different camouflage coat is needed. Follow these links to see the Servaline pattern (also below):

http://www.messybeast.com/genetics/mutant-bigcats2.html

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28567825@N03/3425080869/

In addition to the traditional golden coat with large spots and the Servaline pattern of small spots, there are melanistic and albino Servals.

One of the behaviors of the Serval that transfers marvelously to the Savannahs is the way they jump. The wild Serval, when hunting, makes their jump steep with front feet tucked up tight and then drops straight down on their prey. The Savannahs mirror this remnant of their wild heritage – fascinating to watch!