The Leopard
The most secretive and elusive of the
large carnivores, the leopard is also the shrewdest.
Pound for pound, it is the strongest climber of the larger cats and
is capable of killing prey far larger than itself.
The
coloring of the leopard varies from white to bright golden brown,
spotted with black spots and rosettes. The rosettes consist of groups
of 5 to 6 spots arranged in a tight ring. The tail is longer than
half the body length measured from head to tail. This fierce animal
has small round ears and long whiskers growing from dark spots on the
upper lip. The size of the leopard varies considerably. The leopard
differs from the cheetah in having shorter legs, and rosette-like
spots and is without the cheetah’s black "tear" marks
from eye to mouth.
Name: Panthera
Pardus
Size: The leopard ranges in
size from 1 to almost 2 metres long, and weighs between 30 - 70 kg.
Females are typically around two-thirds the size of males.
Habitat:
Bush and riverine forests. Usually in or near thickets on
mountain sides or along streams and rivers. Leopards are mainly
nocturnal animals but are also seen during the day, especially in the
early mornings and late afternoons. They usually forage alone except
in the mating season.
Leopards are shy, cunning and
dangerous, especially when wounded. Leopards are very good tree
climbers and can pull large prey up a tree to protect it from other
predators or scavengers in the vicinity. They return later to feed
again. Leopards still occur outside conservation
areas.
Socialisation: Leopards are
basically solitary and go out of their way to avoid one another. Each
animal has a home range that overlaps with its neighbors; the male's
range is much larger and generally overlaps with those of several
females. A leopard usually does not tolerate intrusion into its own
range except to mate. Unexpected encounters between leopards can lead
to fights.
Diet: Carnivorous;
Small animals and medium size antelope.
Reproduction:
Leopard breed throughout the year. The gestation period is 3
months. Number of young is 2 to 3 although more have been
recorded.
Life Expectancy: 20 years.
Predators: Humans
