Leopards are very solitary and spend most of their time alone. They each have their own territory, and leave scratches on trees, urine scent marks and poop to warn other leopards to stay away! Males and females will cross territories, but only to mate. These big cats have a varied diet and enjoy different kinds of grub.
They eat bugs, fish, antelope, monkeys, rodents, deer…in fact, pretty much any prey that is available! Of the large cats, leopards are the most arboreal; they have long tails to help them to balance on narrow tree branches. Unlike most cats, leopards are strong swimmers and are one of the few cats that like water, although they are not as aquatic as tigers. They are great athletes, able to run in bursts up to 36 miles an hour 58 kilometers per hour , leap 20 feet 6 meters forward in a single bound, and jump ten feet 3 meters straight up.
Leopards have incredible strength and can climb as high as 50 feet 15 meters up a favorite tree while holding a fresh kill in its mouth, even one larger and heavier than themselves! This way, leopards can return to eat more at a later time.
One leopard was spotted dragging a pound kilograms young giraffe into heavy brush to hide it. Leopards are usually nocturnal, resting by day and hunting at night. The leopard is a champion hunter and has a variety of stealth attacks that catch its prey off guard. The cat uses its vision, keen hearing, and whiskers, rather than its sense of smell, while hunting.
The whiskers face forward when the leopard is walking and move back when the cat is sniffing; they stick out sideways when the leopard is resting. The big cat stalks and pounces rather than chases its prey over long distances. It grabs or swats prey, using retractable claws. Prey is killed with a bite to the throat. Leopards are carnivores and eat any meat item they can find: monkeys, baboons, rodents, snakes, amphibians, large birds, fish, antelope, cheetah cubs, warthogs, and porcupines.
Adult males and females find each other through scent , and a male may follow a female around for several days before she is ready to breed. Even then, a breeding encounter can be dangerous, as both cats have sharp claws and teeth and know how to use them!
A pregnant female uses a cave, burrow, or an opening in thick vegetation as a birthing den. She stays with her cubs, usually two or three in a litter, continually for their first few days before she finally ventures out for food. The cubs are born with little hair and their eyes are sealed. However, they also live in temperate forests, river forests, woodlands, desert edges, and more.
Some leopards in India live closer to human habitations, however most leopards stay far from urban areas. These big cats have the widest distribution of any wild cat. However, this does not mean that they are widespread and common in all of their ranges.
The IUCN lists many subspecies as endangered. Many of these populations have fragmented ranges and declining numbers. Leopards are impressive predators, and are capable of hunting prey much larger than themselves. They are carnivores, and eat only meat. Most of their hunting targets animals between 20 and 80 lbs. These cats feed on a huge number of different species. Some leopards even hunt and kill gorillas , but this is less common. It would be foolish to assume that such a dangerous animal could not potentially kill people.
There are many instances of leopards killing and even hunting and eating humans. However, these instances are usually rare, and most leopards are quite shy and prefer avoiding humans and urban areas. Scientific Name: Panthera pardus. Type: Mammals. Diet: Carnivore. Size: Head and body: 4.
Weight: 66 to pounds. Size relative to a 6-ft man:. Least Concern Extinct. Current Population Trend: Decreasing. This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our photo community on Instagram. Follow us on Instagram at natgeoyourshot or visit us at natgeo. Share Tweet Email. Go Further. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city.
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