Carnivores: Aardwolf African Wild Cat African Wild Dog Banded Mongoose Bat Eared Fox Black-backed Jackal Brown Hyena Cape Clawless Otter Cape Fox Caracal Cheetah Civet Dhole Large Spotted Genet Golden Jackal Honey badger Jaguar Leopard African Lion Asiatic Lion Sand Cat Serval Side Striped Jackal Snow Leopard Spotted Hyena Striped Hyena Suricate (Meercat) Tiger White Tailed Mongoose Yellow Mongoose
The average weight of a fully grown male leopard is about 55kg. Females are
smaller at around 28 kg. Leopards generally have solid black spots on their legs
and heads and their bodies are covered in rosettes. No two leopards have exactly
the same spot patterns.
The coat colour generally varies from pale
yellow to deep gold or rufous. Leopards have five toes on the front feet and
four on the hind, which are equipped with strong, curved, sharp claws. The
male's skull is bigger and heavier than the female's skull. Upper canines in
males can measure up to 40 mm long.. The whiskers are long which assist with
movement through vegetation in the darkness.
Prey of leopard ranges from dung beetles to eland. In Namibia, leopards are known to prey on kudu calves, gemsbok calves, steenbok, duiker, game birds, dassies, baboons bat eared foxes and even cheetahs and any other abundant prey in the area. Leopards will readily scavenge from other predator kills or from animals which have died from natural causes. Kills usually occur after a stalk, a short chase followed by throttling their prey. Although leopards are commonly known to take their kills up trees, in Namibia it is more usual for them to drag their kills for long distances and stash them under bushes.
The Leopards main vocalisation is a rasping or sawing sound. The sound console below includes a sound sample of a Leopard "sawing" and one of a growling leopard. The sound playing console may take a short time to load, particularly if you have a slow internet connection. You will need the macromedia flash plug-in to listen to the sounds.
Leopards are generally solitary except when mating and
when a female is accompanied by cubs. They are primarily nocturnal, but are
sometimes seen moving during daylight hours in areas where there is little human
disturbance or in areas where they have become used to human
presence.
Leopard are not dependant on water as they absorb required moisture
from their prey, but will drink if water is available. Leopards are very
secretive, and are not often spotted in the wild. The leopards excellent
camouflage means it can get close to its prey without being spotted.
Female leopards give birth to between 1 and 3 cubs after a gestation period of 105 days. Leopards are sexually mature at around 2.5 years of age. Cubs are born in caves, sheltered places among rocks or in hollow trees. Cubs eyes open at 7 to 10 days. Young attain independence at between 12 and 20 months.
Leopard spoor - front and back paws.
Photo © Tanya Trevor Saunders
In Namibia leopards have a wide distribution and are found throughout the country. They frequent
areas with rainfalls ranging from 100 mm to 800 mm. Leopard can penetrate areas
with less than 100 mm, for example leopard are found along the Orange River in
the Richtersveld National Park which lies at the southernmost extension of the
Namib Desert. Leopards are extremely adaptable and will tolerate a wide variety
of habitats, but seem to prefer areas with rocky outcrops, mountains and
forests. Leopards also occur in semi-desert and desert areas where there is
enough prey. They even occur adjacent to areas of dense human habitation.
In
Windhoek, Namibia's capital, leopards have been seen drinking out of urban
swimming pools and eating out of dog bowls in people's gardens.
Leopard Distribution in
Namibia
The leopard has been recorded throughout Africa south of the Sahara and are widespread in Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe. They are rarely seen in North Africa.
The status of the leopard throughout the world is unknown. They were first listed on Appendix 1 during the seventies due to the large trade in leopard skins. They appear to be abundant in sub-Saharan Africa. Intensive studies within Namibia have shown leopard populations within those areas to be stable, even with high removal by livestock farmers. Density varies according to prey availability.
Leopards are protected in Namibia and are listed on Appendix 1 by CITES. Namibia, however, has an annual quota of 250 leopards that can be utilised through sports hunting. The quota was previously 100 but was increased to 250 after the CITES conference in October 2004. Hunters are not allowed to use artificial light or hunt at night as this is considered unethical.
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© Predator Conservation Trust.
