Interesting facts about leopards

LEOPARDS are large furocious cats and are wellknown for their beautiful spotted rosettes littered on their golden bodies. They’re part of the big cat family, Felidae and their scientific name is Panthera pardus. They’re thought to be an African animal yet live all over the world.

What do leopards look like?

Most leopards have a light yellow-golden colour and dark eminent spots on their coat. These spots are not solid and are called “rosettes”. They got their name for having a similar shape to a rose.

The ears are small and rounded. At the back of their ears, they have black markings which act as a kind of ‘follow me’ sign. This makes it easier for cubs to follow behind a female in the tall grass.

How high is a leopard?

Leopards are much larger than your average house cat. Nevertheless, they are the smallest members of the big cat family. A leopard’s height can range from 57 to 70cm and they can reach a length of 90 to 160cm. Their tail adds another 64 to 110cm to their length.

How much does a leopard weigh?

A leopard’s weight varies between males and females. Males are usually much stockier than females and have significantly larger heads and paws. Females typically weigh between 17 and 65kg and a male usually weighs anywhere from 31 to 75kg.

Did you know there are black leopards, too?

Black leopards have dark fur, which makes it difficult to see the spots. Their coats often appear almost a solid black and they’re commonly called black panthers. The difference in colour is not an indication of a separate subspecies. Rather, their dark-coloured spots are from the dominant pigmentation of melanin in the skin — opposite to albinism. They have been spotted in Africa, though very rare.

Leopard behaviour is secretive and territorial

Adult leopards are solitary animals and only spend time with others to mate and to raise their young. Each leopard spends most of its life in its own territory. And to warn other leopards to stay away, they leave scratches on trees, and urine scent marks around their areas.

They also rub their faces against vegetation along other pathways and territory boundaries. In doing so, they transfer secretions from the cheek glands, which can also carry olfactory messages.

Leopards are strong, skilled climbers

Leopards are exceptional climbers and enjoy taking rests in the high branches of trees during the day. They have strong necks to carry their heavy prey up into the trees. They do this so that scavengers, like hyenas, don’t snag their meal.

A leopard’s diet is carnivorous

Leopards are carnivores. Nevertheless, they aren’t picky eaters. They eat fish, antelope, warthogs, monkeys, bugs, deer, rodents and any other animal that comes in their path.

A leopard stalks and ambushes its prey

A perfectly camouflaged leopard stalks its prey in high grasses. Leopards are extremely difficult to locate and track in the wild. When it comes to hunting, these large cats certainly know their business. When a leopard has its eyes on a potential meal, it approaches with its head low and legs bent, and quietly disappears. It stalks its prey until it’s around five to 10 metres in range. And then pounce! The leopard dashes forward and aims for the victim’s neck. It takes its prey down, holding tight with a bite to the throat.

Leopard habitats vary

In fact, leopards live in more geographical areas than any other large cat. They can live in rainforests, mountains, woodlands, grassland savannas, forests, shrubland, and deserts. Leopards live in Sub-Saharan Africa, northeast Asia, Russia, China, Malaysia, and beyond.

Leopards are nocturnal

Leopards are nocturnal animals and prefer to spend their nights venturing out in search of food. These majestic cats can see seven times better in the dark than humans. They mostly spend their days resting in trees or in caves.

Female leopards protect their cubs by hiding them in lairs

A leopard’s lair can be in a variety of geological areas, including old aardvark holes, dense thickets, and granite boulders. These lairs serve as a safe place for the cubs when the mother is away. It keeps them safe from lions, hyenas, and other significant threats to the cubs.

Female leopards are excellent mothers

Female leopards have a gestation period of three months and can give birth to two or three cubs. Mothers will stay with their cubs until they are around two years old when they are old enough to take care of themselves. The mother will leave her cubs in secret hideaways, in dense bush or up trees before she goes off to hunt for food.

Leopard cubs are born blind

Leopard cubs have bright blue eyes during the first few months of life. Leopard cubs are born blind and are incredibly vulnerable. They rely entirely on their mothers to survive. Their eyes begin to open around 10 days old, and are bright blue during their first few months of life.