5 Facts about Leopards
5 facts about leopards :Leopards are one of the big five animals living in many national parks of east Africa and Africa at large, leopards are also some of the big cats classified as panthera paedus and also one of the 5 extant species in the genus panthera family. Unlike other wild cats leopards have relatively short legs and long bodies with a large skull, leopards are similar and usually mistaken with jaguars. Both leopards and jaguars are melanistic known as black panthers but what makes them different is that they are slightly smaller in size, have lighter physique, well-camouflaged fur, opportunistic behavior, broad diet, strength and its ability to adapt to series of habitants such as rainforest, arid and montane areas.
Leopards’ fur is marked with rosettes on the skin, the skin color shade of the leopard varies between individual leopards that is from pale yellowish to dark golden with dark spots (rosettes) , leopards living in arid regions are pale cream, yellowish to ochraceous and Rufous in color well as those living in forests and mountainous areas are much darker and deep golden. Spots on the leopard’s skin fade towards the white underbelly, the insides and lower parts of the legs. The rosettes of the leopards differ in shape depending in the region the leopards thrive in, rosettes for leopards living in east African population are circular in shape , those living in southern African region are squarish in shape and those in Asia are larger in shape.
Leopards are fast running cats with a possibility of running 58 kilometers per hour, they are graceful yet ferocious with their hunting techniques. Leopards can easily be spotted in East Africa and they can be seen in the following national parks in different regions.
- In Uganda leopards are found in Queen Elizabeth national park, kidepo valley national park, Lake Mburo national park, Murchison falls national park and Semuliki national park.
- In Kenya leopards are found in Samburu national park and Masai Mara national reserve
- In Tanzania leopards are found in Serengeti national park, Ngorongoro conservation area, Tarangire national park and Lake Manyara national park.
- In Rwanda leopards are found in Akagera national park
Leopards are always on the list of sought for animals by tourists while on their game viewing safaris in East Africa, leopards are spectacular animals and this article focuses on facts which make it an amazing creature. These facts include the following as listed below.
Leopards are solitary animals
Unlike lions which are social animals, Leopards are solitary cats living a sole individual lifestyle. Leopards are usually seen taking a stroll in the grasslands of their habitants alone and the only time they are seen in a pair that is a male and a female is when they are in a mating season, when a female is ready for mating it signals her readiness to her mate by the scent of her territory markers such as her own urine. The mating period takes places for 4 – 5 days and in these days they (male and female leopard) hunt together and mate for 70 – 100 times a day, the mating period is followed by a gestation period of 3 months giving birth to cubs with only 2-3 having a chance of surviving. After the mating and gestation period to the birth of cubs, leopards go back to their solitary lifestyle.
Leopards are the smallest of the large cat family
In the cat family consisting of lions, jaguars, cheetah and leopards themselves, in size leopards are the smallest in the family. Leopards habit mostly on trees as a way of escaping from the scotching midday heat and also enjoy their prey in peace, leopards use their small size to help them climb the trees and in the cat family they are known as the most agile climbers. A leopard’s body grows to an average length 92 to 190 centimeters (3 to 6.2 feet) and their tail grows for about 99 centimeters , the length and weight of leopards differ depending on the sex. Generally the males are larger and heavier than females, the males stand at 60- 70 cm and females stand a length of 57 – 64 cm. male leopards weigh 37 – 90 kgs and female weigh 28 -60 kgs. Though are the smallest in cat family it has nothing to do with their strength as they can carry their prey weighing approximately 50 kilograms to the tree where they reside.
Leopards are not picky eaters
Leopards have been noticed to be able to eat everything in their carnivorous diet in other words they are not picky eaters as other cats in the cat family, leopards diet consists of reptiles like snakes, fish and medium sized animals such as warthogs, zebras, antelopes, wildebeests, rats, and many more. Leopards are capable of surviving without water because they get most of the waters from their prey which they need to survive.
Leopards are ambush predators
Leopards have been identified to be ambush predators in their hunting tactics, like other cats (lion, cheetah and jaguar) leopards get their prey by hunting. Leopards are speedy animals with a possibility of running 35 miles per hour which acts an advantage for their hunting expeditions, in their hunting the leopards stalk their target from a few meters distance while they wait to ambush their target in case the prey moves towards their direction. Once the prey is close to the leopards it is killed in one swift yet ferocious move which involves grabbing of the prey’s neck and breaking it to death, leopard off springs start hunting at the age of 3-4 months and their hunting skills and tactics get polished over time.
Leopards are adaptive cats
Leopards have been noticed to be adoptive cats which has helped them thrive in any habitant, leopards are found in many national parks in Africa which are found in different series of vegetation such as rainforest, a woodland, savanna grassland, mountains, shrub lands and swampy areas. Leopards can easily adapt to any environment that is why they are found in many regions of Africa unlike other cats such as lions which live in conquered territories near water sources.
Leopards are spectacular animals which can easily be seen while on game drive experience in the parks found in East Africa, for this amazing experience book your safari with Focus East Africa Tours by sending your safari inquiry for a quote at www.focuseast africatours.com
