Leopards (continued)

Social Order

Though solitary, the leopard communicates with its own species through scent markings and roaring. Leopards mark the boundries of their territory with urine, scratching, and rubbing. Fights like in the picture do not happen often, but the ones that do occur, are usually over a female.

Young

Females usually raise their cubs alone. They give birth to one to six cubs at a time. The majority of cubs do not survive because of lion or hyena attacks, no food, or the loss of a mother. After a gestation period of a little over three months, the blind cubs are born, weighing about 1.5 to 2 pounds. The cubs start to see in about ten days.

Diet

As young leopards are beginning to hunt, they stalk small rodents such as mice or rats, and move onto larger prey such as young antelopes or large birds. Leopards do not like to swim much, unlike the jaguar, and hunt their prey on land.

Next

Home