SANParks.org Forums

Hi!
I am starting a quiz on cats (duh...) and my first question is
What three scent glands does a leopard have?

Facial, anal and in between the pugs on their claws.

AGREED...

Well Done! All correct...
Next question, What is the life span of a serval?

17 years.

Nope, close though

20 years

My mammal book says about 12 years.

Well, my mammal book, Southern Africa's Mammals, by Robin Frandsen, says 17 years. I'd guess that there may be no truly definitive answer ....

I've checked various books and references and they don't seem to agree on the lifespan. According to the various books the lifespan varies between 12 and 20 years. I guess not enough scientific research has been done to acurately determine the lifespan. Twelve years sounds about right for a serval in the wild and 20 sounds more like a serval in captivity. My guess would be that the lifespan for a serval in the wild is probably something like 12-14 years.

I think you are right, Madach.
I googled and found this

This website is very optimistic about the lifespan for various animals. It states that female lions live up to 18 years and leopards up to 20 years. Those figures sound more like maximum lifespan in capticity than average lifespan in the wild.

I would not think that a serval in the wild would live on average to 20 years as google says, that must be in captivity. So therefore I agree with Madach, 12 to 14 years in the wild.

+/- 12 Years

To all who said so, my research shows that a serval lives for between 10-15 years.
Next question.
What size are the front and hind paw spoor size for a caracal?