Leopard bits and bites - facts about varieties and behavior of leopards

Ranger Rick, Oct, 1995

Leopards are cousins to lions, tigers, and other big cats. But they're one of the smallest of the big cat group. Females are usually about the size of German shepherd dogs, and males are a bit bigger. A lion or tiger can weigh four times as much as a leopard.

GO ALMOST ANYWHERE

You can find leopards in more places than any other big cats. They live in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East (see dark orange areas on the map, below). Here they prowl in cool forests, dry deserts, steamy jungles, and rocky hills.

SNEAKY SPOTS

Its spotted coat helps a leopard sneak up on prey. The spots look like splotchy shadows among grass, trees, or rocks (see photo above left). The prey can't see a clear outline of "cat" unless the leopard moves. And it moves only when the prey isn't looking.

When it gets about 10 feet (3 m) from the prey, the leopard rushes from cover as fast as it can. Finally it leaps for its prey's neck--and bites!

CLAWING ITS WAY UP

A leopard can climb trees much better than a lion or tiger can. So it may scoot up into a tree (left) if it gets chased by a lion or by a pack of wild dogs, hyenas, or bush pigs.

EAT JUST ABOUT ANYTHING

Leopards often hunt for medium-sized hoofed animals, such as impalas (im-PAH-luz). But they can catch and kill bush pigs two or three times as big as they are. And if they can't catch a big meal, leopards go for mini-meals such as hares (above right), rats, and even insects. These cats are UNpicky eaters!

FURRY FLOWERS

The spots on a leopard's back and sides are called rosettes. Why? Some people think the spots look like the petals of a wild rose.

LEOPARD RAINBOW

Leopards come in different colors. They may have shades of yellow, orange, brown, or gray under their spots. Some leopards called black panthers are almost all black (below). But you can still see their spots.

CUBS IN HIDING

A mother leopard usually has one to three cubs at a time. For the first few months, she carefully hides them in a cave, a rock pile, or a clump of bushes.

But to find and catch food, she has to be away from the cubs almost half the time. Sometimes she's away for more than a day. These are dangerous periods for the cubs.

Lions, baboons, and hyenas may come looking for an easy meal. So their mother often moves the cubs to new hiding places to confuse the enemies.

FIRST DRINK, THEN EAT

Cubs drink milk from their mother (above left) for their first three months. Then they start eating meat. The cubs stick close to Mom (left), playing with her and sometimes even pouncing on her.

TOOTH TIME

As the cubs get older, they lose their baby teeth and begin growing their long, strong adult teeth. When growing new teeth, the cubs chew on sticks to ease the pain.

COME HERE, KID!

When a mother leopard calls her cubs, they come running fast. Sometimes a cub that's up in a tree hurries so fast that it almost falls!

FOLLOW THAT TAIL

One part of a leopard that's easy to see, even at night, is the bright white tip of the tail. A mother leopard often walks with the tip curling upward (above right). This might be a signal to the cubs to "follow me!"

GOTCHA . . . ALMOST

Young cubs practice hunting by sneaking up on rocks and attacking bushes. They also practice with Mom. Sometimes Mom hides so the cubs can look for her.

LEARNING REAL HUNTING

During the cubs' first year, Mom gives them hunting lessons. (She keeps feeding them while they're learning, as shown below.) At first she shows them how to catch small animals such as hares, birds, and hyraxes. Then the cubs try for bigger prey. Some cubs can kill a small antelope before they're one year old. Finally, when they're at least 11/2 years old, the cubs leave their mom.

LIFE NEAR PEOPLE

The number of people living in Africa and Asia keeps going up, which takes land away from leopards. But leopards can adjust to humans better than other wild cats can. For example, they use human roads to travel cross-country. They also hide near farms and eat farm animals. They even live near towns, where they grab dogs right out of backyards! Leopards really are the go-anywhere, eat-anything cats.

LEOPARD MENU

Leopards usually eat more than 6 pounds

(3 kg) of meat every day. That's as much as 20 cans of cat food!

They pick from a large menu:
APPETIZERS
chicken  mouse
monkey   porcupine
hare     rat
MAIN DISHES
goat     ibex
deer     impala
bushbuck wildebeest
gazelle  wild pig
dog      sheep
OCCASIONAL TREATS
fox      frog
grass    giraffe
scorpion mongoose
aardvark pangolin
insects  python
fruit    stork
civet    soil

Leopards can catch and kill animals as big and strong as a bush pig (below). Sometimes the cats may haul their prey into the trees (above). That keeps their food safe from hyenas and other thieves. All that running and lifting is tiring work! But there's always time for a little snooz-z-z-z.

A mother leopard and her almost-grown cub pause for a drink. But they always stay alert to danger from people and predators. More and more people are moving onto leopard lands. But these cats are great survivors. Good going, leopards!