FIELD GUIDE Animal Directory
leopard
The most abundant yet most elusive of Africa’s large predators, the leopard is distinguishable by its rosette-patterned coat and powerful physique. This nocturnal cat is the supreme solitary hunter, capable of creeping to within a metre of its prey before pouncing.
Family and Breeding
The leopard is among the most solitary and territorial of cats. Adults live alone in well-marked territories that are never shared with individuals of the same sex, although males and females frequently have partial territorial overlap. Even so, a chance meeting between two individuals is usually accompanied by real or feigned aggression. Far smaller than males, female leopards come into oestrus every 6–7 weeks. At this time, males from bordering or overlapping territories will often fight to the death for coupling rights. Mating itself is an ill-tempered affair, and the male has no involvement in rearing the cubs. Females give birth to litters of two to three cubs in a sheltered cave or thicket, and keep a close watch over them for the next 10–14 days, when the cubs’ eyes open. Infant mortality is high; it is unusual for more than one cub to survive to adulthood. Cubs can fend for themselves at around one year, but usually stay close to their mother for another 6–12 months before becoming fully independent.
Feeding
An opportunistic hunter, the leopard feeds on anything from medium-sized antelopes down to hares, birds, baboons and even insects. It depends almost entirely on stealth, stalking silently through thick vegetation before emerging at the last moment to pounce and strangle its prey with its powerful jaws. A leopard will frequently carry a large kill high into the canopy, where it is safely out of the reach of less arboreal scavengers such as lions, hyenas and jackals. This furtive behaviour has been a key factor in ensuring the persistence of the species in ranchland and numerous other unprotected areas throughout Africa.
Communication and Voice
As might be expected of such a stealthy creature, the leopard is not given to extensive vocalization. Males in particular advertise their presence with a repetitive rasping cough that sounds not dissimilar to wood being sawed. Purring has also been recorded, probably indicating contentment during feeding. Territorial clashes between males are accompanied by snarling and hissing.
Did You Know?
The leopard’s name reflects an old belief that it is a lion (leo) and panther (pardos) hybrid.
FIELD GUIDE Animal Directory
KEY FACTS
Species
Panthera pardus. Local names: Ingwe (Zulu), Nkwe (Sotho), Luiperd (Afrikaans).
Size
Shoulder height: 70–80 cm (28–32 inches); Weight: up to 60 kg (132 lb).
Population in South Africa
4,500 and declining.
Conservation status
VU.
Reproduction
Females reach sexual maturity at 2–4 years, when they come into oestrus.
Habitat
Might occur anywhere.
Seen
Sabi Sands, Kruger, Phinda.