Presence of Servals (Leptailurus serval) in a Mature, Closed-Canopy Tropical Moist Montane Rainforest Ecosystem Challenges Conventional Range Maps

Abstract

Despite its widespread occurrence across Sub-Saharan Africa, the serval (Leptailurus serval) remains largely understudied, especially within Central and Western Africa. Historically regarded as a savanna specialist, servals are thought to be absent from dense, rainforest habitat (IUCN habitat class 1.9). Here, we present evidence of servals occupying tropical moist montane forest across several years, in Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda. We highlight the potential knowledge gap in the currently-accepted IUCN serval range map and the importance of increasing research efforts in understudied areas across Central and Western Africa to improve understanding of species' presence and ecology in these systems.