• Scientific Name: Leptailurus serval
• Common Name: African Wild Cat, Serval
• Family: Felidae
• Physical Description: Medium-sized wild cat with a slim, long-legged body, tawny coat with black spots and stripes, and large rounded ears. Can leap 3 meters (10 feet) vertically.

• Found across Sub-Saharan Africa.
• Preferred Habitats: Savannahs, grasslands, and wetlands; avoids arid regions and dense forests.
• Diet: Carnivorous, feeding on small mammals, birds, reptiles, and insects. Uses acute hearing to hunt.
• Behavior: Solitary, nocturnal or crepuscular, and communicates through vocalizations and scent-marking.
• Reproduction: Breeds year-round, with 2–3 kittens per litter; gestation period is 74 days.

• IUCN Red List: Listed as Least Concern.
• CITES: Included in Appendix II to regulate trade.

Threats: Habitat loss, illegal hunting for fur, and conflicts with humans (e.g., poultry attacks).

PYQ:

[2015] With reference to the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which of the following statements is/are correct?

1. IUCN is an organ of the United Nations and CITES is an international agreement between governments.
2. IUCN runs thousands of field projects around the world to better manage natural environments.
3. CITES is legally binding on the States that have joined it, but this Convention does not take the place of national laws.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3