Page 27 - World of Animals - Deadly Predators

Felinae

21. Why do leopards Leopards

eat in trees? only eat
roughly
a third of
With their powerful legs and muscular bodies,
their kill
leopards are built to climb trees; they can carry
a 300-kilogram (661.4-pound) giraffe carcass
several metres up a tree, despite weighing five
times less. Given the energy it has taken the
leopard to make its kill, it doesn’t want to risk
losing its food to other predators, such as lions,
hyenas and other male leopards. Dragging
its kill up a tree keeps its food safe, and in
50% of cases leopards will do this, reducing
the possibility of its food being stolen by 67%.
Although capable of dragging a dead giraffe,
they mostly drag prey that is one to 1.5 times
their own weight.
As well as hunting on the ground, leopards –
with their camouflaged bodies – can hunt from
the trees. Once they are in position they will
pounce on their unsuspecting prey. Within the
trees they also stalk sleeping baboons, which © Thinkstock
they will carry away to feast on.

24. How well can a lynx see? Lynxes
22. Why don’t
© Thinkstock ocelots chew can spot a mouse that is 76 metres
(249.3 feet) away.
their food?

Ocelots will kill their prey
using their pointed fangs and 25. How do margay’s trick their prey?
tear food using their sharp These clever cats, native to the Amazon, can mimic the calls of their prey,
back teeth. Their fangs point pied tamarin monkeys, to lure them close enough to attack. This skill
backwards to help direct was first recorded by researchers in 2005, and although it was a “poor
food towards the throat for imitation”, the adult tamarin monkeys came to investigate. The margay
swallowing. Unlike humans wasn’t successful.
who have molars (the teeth
that we have that we use to
chew our food), ocelots just © Thinkstock
tear food into smaller pieces
and swallow it whole.

© Thinkstock

© Thinkstock 26. Which cat
is the most
efficient hunter?

Felinae are the most efficient
hunters of all the cat species,
with a success rate of around
23. Why do cheetahs hunt in the day? 48%. A mother serval has an
even better success rate of
Unlike other big cats, cheetahs’ night vision is poor, so they tend to hunt 62%, and they average 16 kills
in the mornings and at dusk. Hunting during these hours also means per day. Other cats tend to
there is less competition for food with other predators like lions and have a success rate of between
leopards, and it avoids the extreme temperatures of the midday Sun. 16 and 20%.

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