Serval in protected areas across its range, and hunting of servals is either prohibited or regulated in several countries. The scientific name of the serval is "Leptailurus serval". It is the sole member of the genus "Leptailurus". The species was first described by German naturalist Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber as "Felis serval". In 1858, Russian naturalist Nikolai Severtzov proposed the genus name "Leptailurus". In the 19th and 20th centuries, some taxonomists inspected serval skins and identified two species on the basis of coat pattern: "Felis serval" (serval), with large, pronounced spots, and "F. servalina" or "F. ornata" (servaline cat), marked
Serval Africa, the serval has significance in traditional medicine. Pastoralists often kill servals to protect their animals, though servals generally do not prey upon livestock. Servals occur in several protected areas across its range. Hunting of servals is prohibited in Algeria, Botswana, Congo, Kenya, Liberia, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Cape Province (South Africa), and Tunisia; regulations apply in Angola, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ghana, Malawi, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Tanzania, Togo and Zambia. The association of servals with human beings dates to the time of Ancient Egypt. Servals are depicted as gifts or traded