The tall and thin build of Savannah cats gives them the appearance of being larger than their actual weight. Males are typically larger than females. Savannahs have long, long-legged bodies, with their rear end usually higher than their prominent shoulders when standing. They have small heads with long, thin necks. The back of their ears has ocelli, which are a light central band bordered in black, dark gray, or brown, giving them an eye-like effect. Their short tails have black rings with a solid black tip. The eyes of Savannah cats are kitten-like blue in color when young and can develop into green, hazel, yellow, or mixed shades in adulthood. The eyes are 'boomerang' shaped with a hooded forehead to protect them from intense sunlight. Ideally, they have black or dark 'cheetah tear' markings extending from the corner of their eyes down to the sides of their nose, similar to those of a cheetah.
According to the TICA breed standard, Savannah cats should have a spotted pattern on their coat, with four accepted colors: brown-spotted tabby (ranging from cool to warm brown, tan or gold with black or dark brown spots), silver-spotted tabby (silver coat with black or dark gray spots), black (black with black spots), and black smoke (black-tipped silver with black spots). Other non-standard patterns and colors can occur, such as rosettes, marble, snow (point), blue, cinnamon, chocolate, lilac (lavender), and other diluted colors derived from domestic cat coat genetics.
