This is a very rare photograph of a black serval. This particular cat looks young to me (subadult). When I first saw the photograph I thought, “what is that?” A strange looking cat. The serval is a bit strange anatomically; very long legs compared to body (the longest of all cats), small head, short tail, and radar dish ears.
Normally the markings are inky spots against a pale yellowish background.
Black (also called “melanistic’) servals occur quite frequently in the highlands of Kenya and Ethiopia but photos of them are rare! In a survey in the area of the Aberdare Mountains of Kenya, 21 different servals were identified. Eight of them were completely black while five were black but less so.
Most black servals in Kenya are seen at 2,440 to 2,745 meters above sea level.
This is where the Aberdare Mountains are:
The biggest cat ears of any cat wild or domestic because the serval hunts small mammals by detecting sound in long grass. It then pounces on where the mammal is even though it might not see the prey. It leaps up and thumps down to stun prey.
OK
But, those ears!
You know what an ear freak I am.
I hope to dream about them.
I need a really good sleep with sweet dreams of them.
Yes, shorter than normal. About half to a third the usual length.
Oh, I see the tail now. I expected a stubby one.
But, just shorter than should be.
His tail is short and I think I see it hanging down the side of his left hind leg. This cat has an amazing appearance and nature created him/her. No fancy breeding.
He looks like a bunny faced pony to me.