LEOPARD FACTS

Oct 21, 2004

l Swahili Name: Chui l Scientific Name: Panthera pardus<br>l Size: About 28 inches at the shoulder l Weight: Up to 140 pounds<br>l Lifespan: 21 years in captivity l Habitat: Bush and riverine forest<br>l Diet: Carnivorous l Gestation: About two-and-half months<br>l Predators: Humans<br><br>

l Swahili Name: Chui l Scientific Name: Panthera pardus
l Size: About 28 inches at the shoulder l Weight: Up to 140 pounds
l Lifespan: 21 years in captivity l Habitat: Bush and riverine forest
l Diet: Carnivorous l Gestation: About two-and-half months
l Predators: Humans

The most secretive and elusive of the large carnivores, the leopard is also the shrewdest. It is the strongest climber of the large cats and capable of killing prey larger than itself.
Leopards come in a wide variety of coat colours, from a light buff or tawny in warmer, dryer areas to a dark shade in deep forests.

The spots, or rosettes, are circular in East African leopards but square in southern African leopards.

Dense bush in rocky surroundings and riverine forest are their favourite habitats, but leopards adapt to many places in warm and cold climates.

Their adaptability has helped them survive the loss of habitat to increasing human settlement.

Leopards are primarily nocturnal, usually resting during the daytime in trees or thick bush. The spotted coat provides an almost perfect camouflage.

When a leopard stalks prey, it keeps a low profile and slinks through the grass or bush until it is close enough to launch an attack.

When not hunting, it can move through herds of antelopes without unduly disturbing them by flipping its tail over its back to reveal the white underside, a sign that it is not seeking prey.

Leopards are solitary and go out of their way to avoid each other. Each animal has a home range that overlaps with its neighbours; 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 lead to fights.

Leopards growl and spit with a screaming roar of fury when angry and they purr when content. They have a good sense of smell and mark their ranges with urine.

They also leave claw marks on trees to warn other leopards to stay away. They continually move about their home ranges, seldom staying in an area for more than two or three days at a time. With marking and calling, they usually know one another’s whereabouts.

A male will accompany a female in estrus for a week or so before they part and return to solitude. As they grow, cubs learn to hunt small animals.

The leopard is a cunning, stealthy hunter and its prey ranges from strong-scented carrion, fish, reptiles and birds to mammals such as rodents, hares, warthogs, antelopes, monkeys and baboons.

The female abandons her nomadic wandering until the cubs are old enough to accompany her. She keeps them hidden for the first eight weeks, giving them meat when they are six or seven weeks old and suckling them for three months or longer.

Leopards have long been preyed upon by man. Their soft, dense, beautiful fur has been used for ceremonial robes and coats. Different parts of the leopard the tail, claws and whiskers are popular as fetishes.

These cats have a reputation as wanton killers, but research does not support the claim. In some areas, farmers try to exterminate them, while some consider them symbols of wisdom. Both lions and hyenas will take away a leopard’s kill if they can.

To prevent this, leopards store their larger kills in trees where they can feed on them in safety.

Compiled by Joshua Kato, from www.Out to Africa.com

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