Editing Serval (section)

===Hunting and diet===
[[File:Leptailurus serval ssp. serval.jpg|thumb|A serval pouncing]]
The serval is a [[carnivore]] that preys on [[rodent]]s, particularly [[vlei rat]]s, shrews, small birds, hares, frogs, insects, and reptiles, and also feeds on grass that can facilitate digestion or act as an [[emetic]].<ref name=ADW>{{cite web |title=''Leptailurus serval'' (Serval) |url=https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Leptailurus_serval |work=[[Animal Diversity Web]]}}</ref> Up to 90% of the preyed animals weigh less than {{cvt|200|g|oz}}; occasionally it also hunts larger prey such as [[duiker]]s, [[hare]]s, [[flamingo]]es, [[spoonbill]]s, [[waterfowl]] and young [[antelope]]s.<ref name=WCoW/><ref name=ADW/> The percentage of rodents in the diet has been estimated at 80–97%.<ref name=Geertsema/><ref name=Smithers1978>{{cite journal |author=Smithers, R. H. N. |title=Serval ''Felis serval'' Schreber, 1776|journal=South African Journal of Wildlife Research |year=1978 |volume=8 |issue=1 |pages=29–37}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Bowland|first1=J. M.|last2=Perrin|first2=M. R.|title=Diet of serval (''Leptailurus serval'') in a highland region of Natal|journal=South African Journal of Zoology |year=1993 |volume=28 |issue=3 |pages=132–135 |doi=10.1080/02541858.1993.11448308 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Apart from vlei rats, other rodents recorded frequently in the diet include the [[African grass rat]], [[African pygmy mouse]] and [[Mastomys|multimammate mice]].<ref name=Kingdon/>

The serval locates prey by its strong sense of hearing. It remains motionless for up to 15 minutes; when prey is within range, it jumps with all four feet up to {{cvt|4|m}} in the air and attacks with its front paws.<ref name=Smithers1978/> To kill small prey, it slowly stalks it, then pounces on it with the forefeet directed toward the chest, and finally lands on it with its forelegs outstretched. The prey, receiving a blow from one or both of the serval's forepaws, is incapacitated, and the serval bites it on the head or the neck and immediately swallows it. Snakes are dealt more blows and even bites, and may be consumed even as they are moving. Larger prey, such as larger birds, are killed by a sprint followed by a leap to catch them as they are trying to flee, and are eaten slowly. Servals have been observed [[hoarding (animal behavior)|caching]] large kills to be consumed later by concealing them in dead leaves and grasses. Servals typically get rid of the internal organs of rodents while eating, and pluck feathers from birds before consuming them. During a leap, a serval can reach more than {{cvt|2|m|ftin}} above the ground and cover a horizontal distance of up to {{cvt|3.6|m|ftin}}. Servals appear to be efficient hunters; a study in [[Ngorongoro]] showed that servals were successful in half of their hunting attempts, regardless of the time of hunting, and a mother serval was found to have a success rate of 62%. The number of kills in a 24-hour period averaged 15 to 16. [[Scavenger|Scavenging]] has been observed, but very rarely.<ref name=WCoW/><ref name=Kingdon/>