Leopards are gorgeous creatures to look at and they’re really interesting too. Here are some cool leopard facts to fill your brain with.
Most leopards are quite light in colour and have dark spots on their fur.
Now this is pretty cool. These spots are actually called ‘rosettes’ as they look a bit like a rose in shape.
Did you know that there are also black leopards? Well, there are. Their spots are very hard to see as they’re so dark, but their spots are there!
You’ll find leopards all around the world including Sub-Saharan Africa, northeast Africa, Central Asia, India and China.
Leopards are super-fast and they can run at speeds of up to 36 miles (58km) per hour. That is fast, although of course the cheetah is faster.
They’re big jumpers too and can leap up to 20 feet (6m) through the air. Wow! That’s the length of 3 adults lying head to toe!
Leopards don’t like to hang out with their friends…they are lone creatures and have their own territory.
How do they mark their territory? They leave scratches on trees, urine scent marks and poop so that other leopards will stay well away.
Males and females will cross into each other’s territories but just to make babies.
They like their food. In fact they’ll eat pretty much anything that’s up for grabs. They eat bugs, fish, antelope, monkeys, rodents and even deer, plus anything else they can find.
Leopards are really good climbers and if you’re ever on a safari, the best place to spot them is up in the trees, but you’ll really have to keep your eyes peeled as they are hard to find.
They’re very good at climbing and strong too. Once they catch their dinner, they drag it up into a tree and eat away so that no other predators can steal their food. Clever huh?
Leopards are what we call nocturnal animals, which means that they are mostly active at night and this is when they come out to hunt.
During the day they’ll be resting up in those trees we mentioned or hiding out in a cool cave.
Leopards certainly know their stuff when it comes to hunting. If they spot their meal, they approach with the legs bent and their heads are very low, so they won’t be seen.
They then stalk their prey quietly and carefully until they are about 5 to 10 meters away. Then, just like that they’ll pounce on them. They will dash forward as fast as a flash and bite the throat or neck of their meal.
If it’s a smaller meal, like birds or mice, they’ll give one blow from their paw and they’re done. Those must be some big paws!
Lady leopards give birth at any time of the year.
They will usually have 2 to 3 babies, which are called cubs.
They stay with their cubs until they are about 2 years old. At this age, the cubs are ready to hunt and take care of themselves.
Leopards talk to each other with very unique calls. For example, if a male wants to make another aware that he’s there, he’ll make a hoarse, raspy coughing noise. They also growl when they’re angry and just like cats, they’ll purr when they’re happy. That would be cute to hear!
Do you know any other facts about leopards that we might have left out? Share your knowledge with us!