Species comparison
African Golden Cat vs Serval
A side-by-side look at Caracal aurata and Leptailurus serval across body measurements, habitat, diet, behaviour and conservation status.
At a glance
- The serval averages about 1.2 times the body mass of the african golden cat.
- Both species use montane forest.
- Their ranges both include Africa.
- Red List categories differ: African Golden Cat is listed as Vulnerable, Serval as Least Concern.
Identification
How each species is named and classified.
African Golden Cat
Caracal aurata
Serval
Leptailurus serval
African Golden Cat
Caracal
Serval
Leptailurus
African Golden Cat
Caracal lineage
Serval
Caracal lineage
African Golden Cat
Medium-sized cats
Serval
Medium-sized cats
African Golden Cat
Golden cat
Serval
Tierboskat
Body and movement
Published field measurements for adults. Ranges cover both sexes unless noted.
African Golden Cat
2 ft – 3 ft 4 in (61–101 cm)
Serval
2 ft 2 in – 3 ft 3 in (67–100 cm) Longer
African Golden Cat
6 in – 18 in (16–46 cm)
Serval
9 in – 18 in (24–45 cm) Longer
African Golden Cat
15 in – 22 in (38–55 cm)
Serval
21 in – 2 ft 2 in (54–66 cm) Taller
African Golden Cat
12–35 lb (5.5–16 kg)
Based on a small number of measured specimens.
Serval
15–40 lb (7–18 kg) Heavier
Males average about 11 kg, females about 9.7 kg.
African Golden Cat
Not reliably measured
No field measurement exists.
Serval
Not reliably measured
Rarely measured; the serval is known for leaping rather than for sprinting.
Life span
Typical adult longevity. Figures for managed care come from zoo and sanctuary records.
African Golden Cat
10–12 years
Serval
10–12 years
African Golden Cat
12–15 years
Serval
20–23 years Longer
Habitat and range
Where each species lives and the conditions it tolerates.
African Golden Cat
tropical rainforest, montane forest
Moist tropical forest, bamboo zones and montane forest up to about 11,500 feet; the species is strongly associated with dense, undisturbed canopy.
Serval
wetland, grassland, savanna, montane forest
Well-watered grassland, reedbeds, marsh edges and moist savanna. The species depends on tall vegetation and permanent water, and avoids dry open plains.
African Golden Cat
Africa
The rainforest belt of West and Central Africa, from Senegal and Guinea east through the Congo Basin to western Kenya and Uganda.
Serval
Africa
Widespread across sub-Saharan Africa, with a small and threatened remnant in Morocco and Algeria in the north.
Diet and behaviour
Feeding ecology, social organisation and hunting technique.
African Golden Cat
small mammals, birds, primates, medium ungulates
Rodents, tree hyrax, duikers, monkeys and forest birds; there are documented cases of golden cats following monkey groups to catch animals disturbed from the canopy.
Serval
small mammals, birds, reptiles, insects, amphibians
Vlei rats and other rodents supply most of the diet, along with frogs, lizards, insects and birds taken in flight.
African Golden Cat
Solitary
Extremely secretive; density estimates rely almost entirely on camera-trap arrays, and even experienced field teams rarely see the animal directly.
Serval
Solitary
Adults hold overlapping ranges centred on wetland; individuals are more tolerant of one another than most solitary cats where prey is abundant.
African Golden Cat
Cathemeral
Camera-trap records show activity spread across day and night, with local variation that may reflect prey and disturbance.
Serval
Crepuscular and nocturnal
Two clear activity peaks around dawn and dusk, with additional night-time hunting; servals rest in dense grass during the heat of the day.
African Golden Cat
Ground stalk in dense forest
Hunts mainly on the forest floor, ambushing rodents and small ungulates in thick undergrowth.
Serval
Acoustic location and vertical pounce
The cat stands still, rotates its ears to pinpoint rustling, then leaps up and forward, striking downward with both forepaws.
African Golden Cat
Strong More developed
Capable in trees and recorded hunting hyrax in the canopy, though most hunting is terrestrial.
Serval
Capable
Climbs competently but spends almost all its time on the ground.
African Golden Cat
Limited
No substantial record of swimming behaviour.
Serval
Capable More developed
Comfortable in shallow water and marsh, wading through flooded grassland while hunting.
Conservation
Red List category, population direction and the pressures documented for each species.
African Golden Cat
VU — Vulnerable
Assessed 2015
Serval
LC — Least Concern
Assessed 2015
African Golden Cat
Decreasing
Serval
Stable
African Golden Cat
Deforestation and logging, Bushmeat snaring, Prey depletion, Mining expansion, Very limited baseline data
Rainforest loss and the commercial bushmeat trade are the main pressures. The cat is caught in snares set for other animals and is also taken deliberately in some regions.
Serval
Wetland drainage and conversion, Grassland burning regimes, Killing for skins used in ceremonial dress, Trade as exotic pets and for hybrid breeding, Loss of North African populations
Secure across much of sub-Saharan Africa, though wetland drainage removes the habitat it depends on, and the North African population is critically small.
Notable traits
Details that do not fit neatly into a measurement table.
African Golden Cat
- Colour morphs vary so widely that early naturalists described several separate species.
- It is the only forest-dwelling member of the caracal lineage.
- Much of what is known about its diet comes from analysis of scats collected on forest trails.
Serval
- A serval can leap roughly ten feet in a single bound to catch a bird taking off.
- Its legs are proportionally the longest of any cat, an adaptation to seeing over tall grass.
- Recorded hunting success rates in some studies approach one kill for every two attempts, unusually high for a felid.
Sources used for this comparison
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Global assessment categories, population trends and documented threats.
- IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group Species accounts, distribution notes and Cat News reporting for every wild felid.
- Panthera Field research programmes and species profiles for big and small wild cats.
- Small Wild Cat Conservation Foundation Dedicated research and field reporting on the lesser-known felids.
- Wildlife Conservation Society Field programmes, camera-trap surveys and population monitoring.
- Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute Body measurements, longevity records and life-history notes.
- Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology Reviewed species accounts with morphometric ranges and reproductive data.