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 large cats and capable of killing prey larger than
itself.
Physical Characteristic
Leopards come in a wide variety of coat colors, 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.
Habitat
Dense bush in rocky surroundings and riverine forest
are their favorite habitats, but leopards adapt to many places in
both warm and cold climates. Their adaptability, in fact, 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 almost perfect camouflage.
Behavior
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 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.
Leopards growl and spit with a screaming roar of fury when angry
and they purr when content. They announce their presence to other
leopards with a rasping or sawing cough. 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.
Leopards 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.
Diet
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, hyraxes, warthogs, antelopes, monkeys and baboons.
Caring for the Young
A litter includes two or three cubs, whose coats
appear to be smoky gray as the rosettes are not yet clearly delineated.
The female abandons her nomadic wandering until the cubs are large
enough to accompany her. She keeps them hidden for about the first
8 weeks, giving them meat when they are 6 or 7 weeks old and suckling
them for 3 months or longer.
Predators
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 in others leopards are considered symbols
of wisdom. Leopards do well in captivity, and some have lived as long
as 21 years.
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