Leopard (Panthera pardus)
Size:
Height at shoulder:
70 cm
Weight: 60 – 80
kg
Length: 104cm –
190cm (small female to large male) tail can be an additional 110cm
Description:
Unmistakable, distinctive large cat. Most similar other species are the cheetah
and the new world Jaguar. Spots on back
and upper limbs are multi-colored rosettes, but spots on face and lower limbs
are solid black. Eyes are green.
Breeding:
Gestation is 90 – 112 days,
with up to 6 young born in a cave or thicket where they remain hidden for 6
weeks. Their eyes open at 1 week, they suckle
for 3 months, and they are independent before 2 years when they become sexually
mature. The mother will spend up to 36
hours away from young, but will stay within 2km of their hiding spot, which she
moves frequently. Once they reach
maturity they are almost completely solitary except when breeding and
occasional reunions between mothers and daughters.
Where to look for them:
One of the best things about
looking for leopards is that the best time to see them is exactly the opposite
of the best time to see the lions. Whereas
lions disappear into the shade and into tall grasses during the heat of the
day, leopards prefer to stay cool in the limbs of tall trees. Although their spots can make them difficult
to see in the mottled light under the canopy of the tree, look for their tails
dangling below the limbs. It is very
unlikely to see one of these in the open savannah areas.
What to notice:
- Leopards will
carry very heavy kills up into the limbs of trees to consume them
undisturbed. They are quite low on the
predator hierarchy, and their kills can be taken by a single lion or hyena. In areas where they are the only large
predator, the behavior of bringing kills into trees is not as common.
- Leopards hardly
ever hunt during the day. In one study
in the Serengeti, only three out of 64 daytime attempts were successful.
- Leopards are
extremely secretive and are often living close to humans. In 1990, three leopards were found living in
the Kampala
train station.
Conservation Status:
Despite international
protections, their coats are still very valuable on the black market. They are also killed as a threat to livestock. Three subspecies are endangered, including
the Rwenzori subspecies in Uganda.
Detailed Information:
Habitat:
Broken terrain
with thick vegetation to provide stalking cover. They are not found in vast grasslands or
other arid areas that do not provide trees or other cover (Kingdon, p. 283)
Remains of one
leopard was found in the ice on Kilimanjaro at 5,692 meters! (Estes, p. 366)
Range/Parks:
Most of Africa, except where it has been exterminated in North Africa and South Africa. (Kingdon, p. 283)
Range:
Overall ranges
can vary from 9-63 sq. km., but home core areas are much smaller. May cover 25-75km in a night. (Kingdon, p.
283)
Food/Water:
Rodents, birds,
arthropods, small to medium-large mammals.
Will eat almost anything that is easily taken near cover. Individuals occasionally specialize in a
“favorite” food. They can take down
large antelopes, but rarely kill anything larger than themselves. Can eat up to 17kg of meat at one time.
(Kingdon, p. 283)
Insects, domestic
stock, fish, reptiles, birds, dassies, dogs, etc. (Walker, p. 96)
Will drink when
water is available, but are not dependent. (Walker, p. 96)
In Serengeti,
main foods were impala, Thomson’s gazelle, reedbuck and the young of topi,
hartebeest, wildebeest and zebra. (Estes, p. 366)
Breeding:
Gestation is 90 –
112 days, with up to 6 young born in a cave or thicket where they remain hidden
for 6 weeks. Eyes open at 1 week, suckle
for 3 months, independent before 2 years when they become sexually mature.
(Kindon, p. 283)
Estrus last 7
days and occurs at 46-day intervals until conception (Estes, p. 368)
Mother will spend
up to 36 hours away from young, but will stay within 2km of their hiding spot,
which she moves frequently. (Estes, p. 369)
Social
Organization and behavior:
Home ranges may
overlap. Except when breeding, they are
solitary, and females raise young alone.
Territorial in core ranges. (Estes, p. 367)
Expert climbers. Can be very dangerous is wounded or
disturbed. There may be larger numbers
than the current estimate, as they are very secretive. (Walker, p. 96)
Kill prey by
biting through the throat and nape of the neck.
Large kills are dragged into the fork of a tree to prevent scavengers
from getting it. They disembowel the
kill first, then feed on the chest, thighs or around the anus. They satisfy most of their moisture
requirements through the blood of their kills. (Walker, p. 96)
Bond between
mother and offspring is enduring and she will continue to share kills until
they are fully self-sufficient. This may
explain overlapping female ranges. (Estes, p. 367)
Classic “stalk
and ambush” predator, trying to pounce before the prey can react, unlike lions
which will chase prey. They will rarely
pursue if the pounce is unsuccessful, although they can run up to 60 km/h.
(Estes, p. 367)
“Of the 7 large
African carnivores, the leopard only outranks the cheetah. Not only the lion but all three hyenas
outweigh a leopard and wild dogs, though smaller, operate in packs.” (Estes, p.
368) A solitary hyena can take the kill
of a leopard.
Communication:
Rasping in- and exhalations around sunset
(sawing) – generally 13 – 16 strokes in a twelve second period. Scent marking and scratching on trees.
Activity
Patterns:
Inactive for most
of the day and part of the night, generally lounging on tree limb. Seldom rest in the same place two nights in a
row. (Estes, p. 367)
Almost never hunt
during the day. In one study in the
Serengeti, 61 out of 64 daylight attempts were unsuccessful. (Estes, p. 367)
Sign:
Will often spray,
defecate or scratch at trail intersections. (Kingdon, p. 283)
Scats tapered at
one end, turns white in the sun, contains much fur. (Walker, p. 96)
Overall gait is
95-100 cm (Walker,
p. 96)
Claws are
retractable. Track is round, compact
with a light tread (Walker,
p. 98)
Predators:
Humans.
Conservation/Commercial
value:
Despite international
protections, their coats are still very valuable on the black market, and it is
estimated that 50,000 per year are still poached. They are also killed to prevent them preying
on livestock. The Rwenzori subspecies is
endangered. (Kingdon, p. 283)
References:
Estes, R. (1991).
The Behavior Guide to African Mammals. Berkeley, CA: The University of California
Press.
Kingdon, J.
(1997). The Kingdon Field Guide to
African Mammals. Princeton,
NJ: Princeton
University Press.
Walker, C.
(1996). Signs of the Wild: A Field Guide
to the Spoor & Signs of the Mammals of Southern Africa.
(5th Edition). Cape
Town, South Africa: Struik Publishers Ltd.
Photo by Charles Steinberg