Panthera pardus
The beautiful Leopard is at the top of the wishlists of many visitors to South Africa’s wild places, and certainly deserves its position among Africa’s “Big Five“. One of the most adaptable of the large carnivores, their build and colouration is supremely attuned to the environment in which they live. Depending on the harshness of the environment and the size of prey available, the weight of adult males can vary between 20 and 90 kilograms (females weigh slightly less), with a shoulder height ranging between 55 and 80cm.
Leopards have adapted to every habitat on the African continent, from the driest deserts to the tropical rainforest and high mountain ranges. They are just as catholic in their diet, which ranges from insects, fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and rodents to large mammals and even other predators (including jackals, spotted hyenas and cheetahs) or carrion, though they normally prefer commonly occurring medium-sized antelope and wild pigs. Though they are not dependent on the availability of surface water they will drink regularly if it is available. Their penchant for storing the carcasses of their prey up high in the branches of trees, where it is inaccessible to competing predators, allows them to feed from the same carcass for up to 6 days.
Solitary by nature, Leopards only associate with others of their kind when mating or when cubs accompany their mother. Adults of both sexes hold territories that may cover enormous areas, depending on the availability of prey, are advertised by their rasping call and marked with urine, scat and scrape marks against prominent trees, and defended viciously, sometimes to the death, against interlopers of the same sex. Male territories are larger and can overlap with the areas of up to six females. Leopards are nocturnal, with most activity occurring from dusk to dawn, resting up in the deep shade of tree canopies, thickets and caves. They love basking in the early morning or late afternoon sun. Leopards can reach a speed of up to 60km/h, but can only maintain it for short bursts and rely on their camouflage and expert stalking skills to get within range of their prey.
Female Leopards usually give birth to 2 or 3 cubs (range from 1 to 6) after a short 3 month gestation at any time of the year. Newborn cubs are kept hidden in caves, among boulders, in thickets and even burrows while the mother is out hunting, until they start accompanying her at the age of about two to four months. Cubs become independent anywhere between 12 and 24 months of age, though only about half of the cubs born reach that age. Lions and spotted hyenas will attack and kill adult Leopards, while even jackals pose a threat to unguarded cubs.
Leopards have a wide distribution in Africa and Asia, but their populations have been reduced and become confined to increasingly isolated pockets over most of that range, leading the IUCN to classify it as “vulnerable” due to the persistent threats of illegal hunting and loss of habitat and prey. In South Africa, Leopards can be found in the mountains of the Western and Eastern Cape, along the Namibian and Botswana borders with the Northern Cape, in the Drakensberg range and northern Kwazulu-Natal, and widely in the North-West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces, but their secretive nature makes it virtually impossible to determine their population size, with the EWT estimating the number of leopards occurring in South Africa between 2,800 and 11,600. In our experience, the Kruger National Park, Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, Mapungubwe National Park, Pilanesberg National Park, Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park, iSimangaliso Wetland Park (especially the Eastern Shores section) and Ithala Game Reserve presents the best chance of finding these elusive cats on a self-drive safari in South Africa.
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Stunning pictures!
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Thanks so much, and welcome here!
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Wonderful photos, Dries. Leopards are such magnificent creatures. 🙂
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They are beyond compare, that’s for sure!
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I think that’s why my sister loves to paint them.
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She must have a special talent!
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Yes she does. They are so lifelike.
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Awesome post. You’re lucky to have seen and captured so many great leopard images.
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Thanks a lot, Cal. Always special to find leopards, and these took quite a few visits to many different places to collect.
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Thanks for the info. You’ve got some amazing shots here. I really hope I see some when I go in May!
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Will hold thumbs for you, Penne!
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You have so many fantastic photos. The only ones I managed to catch were distant and fuzzy. I love the big cats! They are so regal.
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Truth be told, Joanne, it took many visits over many years to put this collection together. Luckily we live close enough to these places to make regular visits possible. I’m sure if you had that same luxury you would have has some tremendous images of the big cats, leopards included!
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As always, great post and photos. So educational, thanks for sharing.
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Glad to know you enjoyed this post so much, we had a great time putting it together!
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I love, love, love the big cats. Beautiful shots.
janet
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So Beautiful! Wonderful pictures! 😉
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Thank you very much, Teresa!
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Sjoe dis mooi!
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Luiperds slaan altyd mens se asem weg, ne Tina?
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Very nice, I particularly like the first photo in black and white.
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Thanks very much, P J B!
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Such mysterious and majestic creatures….
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Absolutely Lori! Makes every encounter with them just so special!
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Wow! That top picture is amazing. Communicates such power and beauty combined. I would love to take leopard pictures!!!
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Thanks Kathy! Leopards are majestic animals, and I am sure you’d take wonderful pictures of them when you visit this side of the Atlantic!
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The photo second from the top is my absolute favourite. That one is a “poster child” for sure.
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Thank you, Beth! That was a particularly memorable sighting on a gravel road along the Olifants River in Kruger Park – another car had driven straight past that beauty without noticing him sitting next to the road. Just shows you how well they are at camouflaging!
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Oehoee!! Jy maak my dag. Die swart-en-wit foto is stunning.
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Baie dankie, Spokie! Ek lei af jy is ook n groot luiperd-entoesias?
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Fantastic post, de Wets. They are such stunning and mesmerizing animals. The lead photo in monochrome is amazing. Beautifully done.
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Thank you very much, Jane! With such beautiful subjects it is easy to get a decent picture.
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Een van die mooiste diere…pragtige foto’s,Dries!Jy was gelukkig om so baie verskillendes te sien.Dis seker op verskeie kere wat julle in die wildtuin was.
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Dit is so, Dina – jare se besoeke aan Kruger, Ithala, Pilanesberg, Cape Vidal en Hluhluwe-Imfolozi was nodig om hierdie bymekaar te maak!
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Kyk nou net watter ongelooflike fotos sit jy op, en dit is die enigste een van die groot 5 wat ons nie gesien kon kry nie.
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Ek kan dink dat met al die groenigheid en nattigheid wat daar nou in die Wildtuin is, die luiperds ekstra goed wegkruip!
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