Page 85 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - South Africa

FIELD GUIDE  83

KEY FACTS
Leopard Feeding
The leopard is an adaptable and Panthera pardus
opportunistic hunter, feeding on
anything from medium-sized Local names: Ingwe (Zulu),
Nkwe (Sotho), Luiperd
antelopes to hares, birds, (Afrikaans)
baboons, hyraxes and insects.
It depends almost entirely on Size Shoulder height:
stealth, stalking silently through 70–80 cm (28–32 inches);
thick vegeta tion before emerging Weight: up to 90 kg (198 lb).
at the last possible moment to
pounce and strangle its prey with Lifespan Up to 20 years.
Leopard dragging prey, often
three times its weight, into its powerful jaws. In rainforests Population in South Africa
and other habitats where lions
8,000–10,000.
the canopy
are absent, the leopard is typically Conservation status LC.
the apex predator, and adults Gestation Period
tend to be notably heavier than 3–4 months.
their savannah counterparts. Reproduction Females
A leopard will frequently carry a reach sexual maturity at
large kill high into the canopy, 2–4 years, when they
where it is safely out of the come into oestrus.
reach of less arboreal Habitat Shows high
scavengers such as lions, habitat tolerance and
hyenas and jackals. might occur anywhere.
Top Places to See
Communication and Voice Sabi Sands, Kruger, Phinda.
As might be expected of such a potentially
fearsome creature known for its ability to survive Sighting Tips
in close, near-spectral proximity to humans, the Leopards often take refuge
leopard is not given to extensive vocalization. in the lower branches of tall
Males in particular advertise their presence with trees, where they may be
a repetitive rasping cough that sounds not unlike detected by a tail flicking
below the canopy.
wood being sawed. Purring has also been recorded,
probably indicating contentment during feeding. Friends and Foes
Territorial clashes between males are accompanied Leopards are the only large
by snarling and hissing. However, the most cats that regularly prey on
remarkable feature of the leopard remains baboons, which react
the capacity for hysterically to the cat, issuing
furtiveness that a distinctive panicked
ensures that alarm call that human
the species still trackers can recognize.
persists, although
barely detected, Facts and Trivia
Leopard cubs typically have greyer pelts than in ranchland The leopard’s name reflects
the adults. Leopards are famously solitary, and two and many other an ancient belief that it is a
individuals keeping peaceful company will almost Display of affection between leopards, unprotected areas hybrid between a lion (leo)
certainly be a female and her cub. seldom observed in unrelated adults throughout Africa. and a panther (pardos).

Although highly adaptable, Leopards frequently
The leopard is compulsively leopards favour habitats that spend their day lying
clean and spends much of the offer them plenty of cover quietly in the branches of
day grooming itself. and camouflage. the upper canopy.

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