|
An elegant and powerfully built animal, the leopard is the largest of Africa's spotted cats. No two leopards are alike, but
in general, they tend to have a golden ground colour and black spots on the limbs, flanks, hindquarters and head, with rosettes
on the remainder of the body. Melanistic leopards, or 'black panthers'; are common in the highlands of Ethiopia and have been
recorded in India, Zaire, Somalia and South Africa. They are considerably smaller than lions, with males averaging around
70kg and females 40kg.
The leopard has a secretive, stealthy and solitary lifestyle and is remarkably resilient. This therefore means that they
have a wider range of distribution than any other large felid. They are able to survive on an enormous variety of food sources
and for that reason can have a wide habitat tolerance. Leopards are rarely encountered, but give off an aura of immense authority
when they do choose to reveal their presence.
However, being extremely territorial, encounters between leopards very often lead to serious injury and even death and
when more than one are seen together, it is usually a mating pair or a mother with her young. They hunt at night but are active
during the day in wilderness areas. When hunting, the leopard uses a silent stalk and short rush to catch its prey and kills
it by suffocating it or biting it on the nape of the neck, back of the skull or throat.
Back to Run Wild with Nelak
Back to Running Wild
|
