Tag: Serval

Big cat family tree

The Cat (felidae) family tree

Pantherera family
Bay cat family
Caracal family
Leopardus family
Lynx family (this is the Eurasian Lynx)
Puma family
Leopard cat family
Domestic cat and family

The Cats form an incredibly successful family. It is true that they are missing from the polar regions, and Australasia, but everywhere that they reached they have been successful, and in many ecosystems they are the undisputed kings

Panthera Family

 This family split from hte Felid ancestor 10.8 million years ago. There have been some debate as to whether the two species of clouded leopards should be included in Panthera. On the circular mammal tree (which we are using – look in the species watch tab, or click here)

They are generally included in a subgenus Panthera_Neofilis

 

Lion - all subspecies
Leopard - all subspecies
Jaguar
Tiger
Snow Leopard
Clouded Leopard
Sunda Clouded Leopard

Bay cat Familiy

Bay cat ancestor split 9.4 milion years ago

Asiatic Golden cat
Bay cat family
Marbled cat

Caracal Family

Caracal Ancestor split 8.5 million years ago

Caracal family
African Golden Cat
Serval

Ocelot Family

Ocelot Ancestor 2.9 million years ago

Geoffrey cat
Kodkod
Tigrina or Oncilla (North and South)
Andean mountain cat
Pampas cat
Margay
Ocelot

Lynx Family

Lynx Ancestor 3.2 million years ago

Lynx family (this is the Eurasian Lynx)
Iberian lynx ( Lynx pardinus ) lying down on a rock in Spain
Bobcat
Canada Lynx in the snow is gazing curiously at the camera

Puma Family

Puma ancestor 4.9 million years ago

Puma (cougar, Mountain Lion)
Jaguarundi
Cheetah

Leopard cat Family

Leopard cat Ancestor 5.9 million year ago

Asian Leopard cat
Fishing Cat
Flat headed cat
Rusty spotted cat
Pallas cat

Domestic cat Family

Domestic cat Ancestor

Domestic cat and family
Wildcat
Sand cat
Black footed cat
Jungle cat

Caracal

Caracals are a very lucky sighting, as they tend to be active when people are asleep

Caracal

Caracals are nocturnal, which means that they are often not spotted. Indeed, in our time in South Africa, it was the only local cat which we did not see. It has a huge distribution, which includes Africa, the middle east, central Asia and even parts of northern India and Pakistan. It is an expert jumper, and often catches birds in flight, being able to jump more than 3m straight up. It comes from the same genetic line as the serval and the African Golden cat.

Generally, while it is wide spread and usually relatively plentiful it is an animal that either takes a lot of luck or a great deal of patience to see it in the wild.

Serval

Serval

The Serval is a cat slightly bigger than domestic cats. It is a formidable jumper, and uses this to its advantage. It will usually hunt some rodents by stalking them until it is close and then leaping in the air and coming down on its back. It is also one of the few cats that regularly catches birds in flight, given its ability to jump as much as 4m up (indeed, if you see them in a zoo, it is not unusual for there to be a pile of feathers somewhere in their enclosure. The are a nocturnal savannah animal, and are found in most protected areas of sub-Saharan Africa. They are generally plentiful in any savannah with a good supply of water.

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World maps: explore

This website aims to make it easy for those living with wildlife, and those who would like to see it, to find each other. Where-ever the wildlife, if the local people do not benefit it will not survive.  Please note, on some computers these maps can take 10 seconds to load.

Explore the worlds wilds, through the map above (each country contains a list of any wild areas within it – world maps for each fo these can be found at the top of the page -“wild places, “shadow of mankind”, “Hides”, “Future places” & “sightings board”), or the species in the expandable section below. Add your destinations, by clicking on “list your wild”. Scroll down to read our latest wild news.

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    aaa Malamala reserve, Greater Limpopo transfrontier park – between Sabi sands and the Kruger

    Malamala reserve, Limpopo Transfrontier park

    Established back in 1927, initially as a hunting reserve, it has been purely with a camera since 1964. Relatively small, only covering 62 square miles, it is sandwiched between the Kruger and the Sabi sands game reserve. As such, the game is incredibly dense.

    There most luxury suites in each camp is 10, across all three camps so  if every single one is inhabited, a large so called traffic jam would not stop you seeing the wildlife. Unlike in the Kruger itself, you are not restricted to roads, which means often very close encounters., it also make 62 square miles an enormous area to explore with your guide.

    Camp Ndlovu

    Camp Ndlovu

    Camp Ndlovu bedroom
    Camp Ndlovu room
    Camp Ndlovu dining
    Camp Ndlovu
    Camp Ndlovu 2

    Camp Ndlovu lies within the Welgevonden Game Reserve, and sits alongside the Marakele National Park in South Africa.

    These protected areas and some other reserves are collectively called the Waterberg Biosphere Reserve, which covers around 4,000 square km of bush.

    Sitting just two and a half hours from Cape Town, this is a perfect place to drop into for a few days during a Cape holiday. One of the big advantages of going on safari here is that there is no Malaria, which is rare for a safari destination.

    As a Big Five reserve you will have an action packed visit (cheetah are also present).

    For those interested in birds there are also over 300 species that are present including blue cranes.

    Camp Ndlovu is a luxurious way to do safari, and with only guests of one of the lodges allowed onto the reserve the number of cars is kept relatively low. With just five suites (one of which is suitable for families, though children under 12 by arrangement only) even when the lodge is full, it will not feel crowded.

    With each suite being very generously sized and being air conditioned, they will be a welcome refuge from the heat of the bush. Each has its own plunge pool and outdoor shower and bath. They each have extra long king sized beds, and a sitting room with a fireplace. Also included is a minibar and a nespresso machine. There is also a sizeable deck around the plunge pool with comfortable pool loungers, allowing you to relax in comfort and watch the world pass by.

    Despite the camps remoteness there is also WIFI within the camp. They also have extras such as bathrobes slippers and forgotten toiletries.

    Each air-conditioned luxury unit suite comes complete with its own plunge pool, outdoor shower and outdoor bath, air-conditioning and fan, king size extra length bed, a lounge with fireplace, Nespresso coffee machine with complimentary coffee pods, a mini bar, outdoor shower and bath and  an extensive wooden deck with pool loungers and private dining areas. Extras include bathrobes, slippers and complimentary toiletries and Wifi.

    This coupled with a history of wildlife never having been legally hunted here makes for far more relaxed animal encounters than you can experience elsewhere. Anti-poaching efforts continue behind the scenes to make sure that this remains the case as much as possible.

    Apart from those animals listed so far the reserve hosts around 50 mammals in total. Night time safaries are usually the only way to see them and brown hyena, aardwolf, pangolin and aardvark are present to be looked for on night drives.

    With a long history of human habitation within the area, there are also 2 san rock paintings within the reserve. There is a booking/questions form below the video, and below this is pricing information in south african Rand (at the time of writing £1 is about 20 rand

     

    To ask questions or enquire about availability or book please fill in the form below