Leopard

In the face of changing land-use, decreasing prey and human persecution, the leopard has persisted where other large predators have not. Found wherever there is food and cover, it quenches its thirst with moisture from ingested prey. Not a fussy eater, it tolerates human presence well. Keen of sight and hearing, the leopard is comfortable both in water and on trees. Yet, it is not invulnerable. In parts of its range, populations have plummeted by 80% or more.

The leopard has the practice of heaving its kill up into the limbs of a tree for undisturbed feeding. Assisted by powerful limb, neck and jaw muscles, it can easily drag a carcass that weighs more than itself! Leopards are known to cache food in trees or under thick vegetation and will not stop hunting despite having multiple carcasses stowed away. This is especially so where competitors like hyenas or lions are present and more commonly seen in males than females.

Their coat colour ranges from tawny in warm, dry habitats to reddish-orange, even black in dense forests. Leopards with a black coat are commonly referred to as `black panthers’. Like other leopards, they have a spotted coat although their distinctive black rosette markings are much less visible on a black coat. Leopards in East Africa sport circular rosettes while those in South Africa have squarish ones. Cubs are ash-grey with indistinct rosettes. Solid black spots cover a leopard’s chest, feet, and face. Each leopard has a unique coat pattern.