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Exquisite yet elusive, the leopard is a firm safari favourite. Watching them up close in the wild is a deeply compelling experience that literally pierces the soul, remaining with you long after the leopard has moved off. As one of the most resourceful and adaptable predators in the wild, their lifestyles are equally intriguing. They live in many different habitats, eating whatever prey is most common in an area, and they will hunt or scavenge as necessity demands. Leopards spend the majority of the day resting in thick cover before getting active under the cover of darkness to hunt, but this routine is not strictly adhered to given their propensity for opportunism. Leopards and their relatives can be a little confusing because of overlapping names and appearances. There’s actually only one leopard species in the world: Panthera pardus, but there are eight or nine subspecies, each adapted to different regions. Big cats like lions and tigers also belong to the Panthera genus.
Panthera pardus
Where: Africa and parts of Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, Far East Russia).
Look: More slender than jaguars. Rosettes are smaller and don’t usually have central spots.
Size: Sleek, agile, most adaptable big cat. 30–90 kg (66–200 lbs), males up to 100 kg.
Quirk: Extremely adaptable in habitat and prey, widest distribution, eats whatever is most common. Hoists its kills into trees.
African leopard: The most widespread subspecies, found across sub-Saharan Africa.
Asian subspecies: Includes the Indian leopard, Sri Lankan leopard, Amur leopard (critically endangered).
Status: Vulnerable overall, but varies by region.
Travel to see leopard: Phinda, Tengile, Botswana, Yala National Park
Panthera onca
Where: Native to the Americas, mainly Central and South America (Amazon basin stronghold).
Look: Stocky, muscular build with a broad head. Rosettes (spots) are large and often have a dark spot in the middle, unlike leopards.
Size: Stocky, muscular, largest skull relative to body. 60–120 kg (132–265 lbs), males up to 150 kg+
Quirk: Strongest bite of all big cats, capable of crushing turtle shells and caiman skulls. Also a water-loving powerhouse.
Status: Near Threatened (IUCN).
Travel to see jaguar: Jaguar Impact Journey
Panthera uncia
Where: Mountain ranges of Central and South Asia (Himalayas, Mongolia, Tibet). Not a “true leopard” genetically, but closely related and part of the Panthera genus.
Look: Pale grey/white fur, thick coat, long fluffy tail for balance and warmth. Spots are open rosettes, not as dense as other leopards.
Size: Medium build, long body, thick fur, fluffy tail. 25–55 kg (55–121 lbs)
Quirk: Excellent high-altitude climber, adapted for cold with nasal cavities that warm the air.
Status: Vulnerable.
Travel to see snow leopard in the Himalayas: Expedition to India
What it is: A normal leopard (Panthera pardus) with a genetic condition called melanism, which causes an overproduction of dark pigment (melanin). The black leopard is not the same as a “black panther” in the Americas which are melanistic jaguars although, in Asia or Africa, the term “black panther” is also used to refer to melanistic leopards.
Appearance: Looks almost entirely black at first glance, but in good light you can still see the classic rosette patterns hidden under the dark coat. A melanistic jaguar is also all black, but the jaguar version tends to be bulkier with those central-spotted rosettes still faintly visible.Interestingly, snow leopards don’t have a known melanistic form — their adaptations favour pale, camouflaged coats for the snowy landscapes where they live.
Where found: Most common in dense, forested habitats in Asia (India, Sri Lanka, Java, Malaysia) and less often in Africa. The dark coat provides camouflage in shadowy forests.
Behaviour: Same habits as regular leopards — stealthy, tree-climbing, ambush hunters.
Status: Not a separate subspecies; just a colour morph of the leopard.
Travel to see black leopard: Suyian
Join safari guide, Kris “Harri” Harrison as she traverses our landscapes and discovers the leopards that live there.
A leap of leopards
Leopards use sight to locate prey. They see well at night due to a high number of light-sensitive rods in the eyes and a reflective tapetum lucidum behind the retina. Forward-facing eyes effect binocular vision.
Long, tactile whiskers help leopards move in total darkness or detect minute changes in air currents critical for exploring and hunting. Whisker spots are unique to individuals.
Leopards are expert climbers and hoist heavy kills to avoid competition with hyenas. To enable this, they have large skulls, strong necks, high shoulders, concave chests and sharp dewclaws on their wrists for grip.
The golden pelt is patterned with rings of black spots that form rosettes, unique to each animal. The spots camouflage the leopard by breaking up its shape, allowing it to blend into its habitat.
Black (or melanistic) variants occur when a recessive gene causes too much black skin pigment in certain individuals. Rosettes are however, still visible.
Leopards have long white-tipped tails for balance when running or climbing. These are a useful ‘follow me’ sign for young cubs trailing their mother in tall vegetation or as a target practise for their pouncing skills.
These cats are expert stalkers, getting to within 5-10 m (15-35 ft) of prey before attacking. They are opportunistic, eating species from rodents, reptiles and fish to large antelope or small carnivores.
But they typically hunt medium-sized antelope like impala. Prey is grabbed with the fore claws and bitten on the throat or spine. Leopards pluck their food and discard the entrails.
Territories are advertised through the spraying of urine. Males scrape the ground while urinating to get the smell on their feet leaving an olfactory trail as they then walk deliberate patrols.
The scrape marks are visual markers. They also defecate conspicuously and roll in other animals’ dung. Leopards rub their faces on plants along their boundaries to leave cheek gland secretions.
Claws are the tools of a leopard’s trade so maintenance of these is crucial. They will rise up on their hind legs to claw hard surfaces like tree trunks.
This removes fraying pieces of the claw sheaths via friction but fulfils the dual purpose of flexing their spines and stretching their bodies. The resultant scratch marks on the trunk may also serve as an additional territorial marker.
Leopard’s call with a rasping sound resembling a wood saw in motion. A vibrating, non-ossified suspensorium (similar to lions), projects their vocalisation a long distance.
In turn, these are detected by an acute sense of hearing. Leopards vocalise to advertise territory, to make contact with offspring or to locate mates. A female’s call is longer than a male’s, with a higher rasp frequency.
Leopards are solitary except for females and growing cubs. Both sexes have territories defended against members of the same sex. Females select territories dependent on available prey and den sites.
Males select for the availability of females. Territories vary from 5-100 km² (2-40 mi²) depending on resources, and toms defend areas encompassing numerous female territories. Males and females remain together only during courtship and mating.
Mating lasts for two to five days at a time, with copulations occurring every 5 to 10 minutes. Females may seek out a male, calling and marking incessantly, even leaving their territories to seek out a tom.
After each bout, the female turns and swats the male violently as he extracts his barbed penis. Gestation is rapid and cubs are born helpless and blind, spending the first weeks of their lives hidden away while they gain strength.
Females suckle their babies for three months, after which they lead their cubs to prey they have killed. At about nine and a half months, cubs may join their mother on the hunt and usually start killing at 11 months.
Females allow their cubs to remain in their territories for 18 months or more and may even permit hunting trips by newly independent sub-adults. Males perform no direct parental role.
Cubs are often left alone for many hours while females hunt and patrol. These periods provide opportunities for the developing cubs to explore their immediate surrounds and to play with one another.
This exercises the muscles and refines the skills they will need to survive as adults. From early on in life, leopards experience the feast or famine condition their lifestyles will ultimately dictate.
I came eye to eye with a beautiful leopard on safari. Staring at him, I felt a recognition with my own nature
[Bai Ling]