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THE LEOPARD
Courtesy of
African Wildlife
Foundation
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.
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.
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.
Leopards are
solitary creatures
and predominately
nocturnal. Each
individual has a
home range that
overlaps with its
neighbors; the
male's range is much
larger and generally
overlaps with those
of several females.
Leopards continually
move about their
territory, seldom
staying in an area
for more than two or
three days at a
time. Ranges are
marked with urine
and claw marks and
leopards announce
their presence to
other leopards with
a rasping cough.
Leopards also growl,
roar and purr.
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.
The most elusive of
the large
carnivores, the
leopard is a
cunning, stealthy
hunter, its prey
ranges from
strong-scented
carrion, fish,
reptiles and birds
to mammals such as
rodents, hares,
hyraxes, warthogs,
antelopes, monkeys
and baboons. Both
lions and hyenas
have been known to
take away a
leopard's kill. To
prevent this,
leopards store their
larger kills in
trees where they can
feed on them in
relative safety.
The most widespread
of the felines,
leopards occur in
regions across both
Africa and Asia.
Indeed, their
adaptability to both
warm and cold
climates has helped
them survive the
loss of habitat
caused by increasing
human settlement.
However, leopards
have long been
preyed upon by man.
Their soft,
beautiful fur has
been used for
clothing. The tail,
claws and whiskers
of the leopard are
popular as fetishes.
In some areas
farmers try to
exterminate them,
while in others
leopards are
considered symbols
of wisdom.
-
The elegant,
powerfully built
leopard has a
long body,
relatively short
legs and a broad
head. Its tawny
coat is covered
with dark,
irregular
circles called
"rosettes."
-
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 relative
safety.
To read more on
wildlife of Africa
Visit
African Wildlife
Foundation
Send your contribution about this website to
wildlifeclub@shulebora.com
Read about the
Lion
here ....
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