THE LEOPARD
Although
lions and leopards may come into contact in sub-Saharan Africa, they are
generally not known to interbreed naturally. However, there have been anecdotal
reports of felids larger than the cheetah but smaller than the lion, with a
lion-like face, from the Central African Republic, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda.
This animal, known as time marozi and by several other names, is covered with
grayish spots or rosettes on the back, the flanks and the legs. However, there
have been no confirmed sightings of the marozi since the 1930. A puma pard is a
hybrid animal resulting from a mating between a leopard with a full grown puma
(a member of the genus puma).
The leopard's skin color varies by
climate and habitat from pale yellow to yellowish brown or golden. Leopards
living in forests are darker than those in arid habitats. Spots fade toward the
white underbelly and the insides and lower parts of the legs. Rosettes
are most prominent on the back,
flanks and hindquarters. The pattern of the rosettes is unique in each
individual. Rosettes are circular in East African leopard populations, and tend
to be squares in Southern African and larger in Asian leopard populations. The
fur tends to be grayish tones in colder climates, and to a darker golden hue
rainforests habitats.
The leopard is often confused with
the however, the cheetah is marked with small round spots instead of the larger
rosettes. Moreover, the leopard lacks the facial tear streaks
characteristic of the cheetah. Other similar species are and. The clouded leopard can be told apart by
the diffuse "clouds" of spots compared to the smaller and distinct
rosettes of the leopard, longer legs and thinner tail. The jaguar has rosettes
that typically have spots within them, while those of leopards often do not.
Moreover, the jaguar has larger and rounder foot pads and a larger skull.
Leopards
are active mainly from dusk till dawn and rest for most of the day and for some
hours at night in thickets, among rocks or over tree branches. Leopards have
been observed walking 1–25 km (0.62–15.53 mi) across their range at
night; Leopards are known for their ability to climb and have been observed
resting on tree branches during the day, dragging their kills up trees and
hanging them there, and descending from trees headfirst. The leopard are so
territorial. Adult’s ass Most leopards avoid people, but humans may
occasionally be targeted as prey. Most healthy leopards prefer wild prey to
humans, but injured, sickly, or struggling cats or those with a shortage of regular
prey may resort to hunting humans and become habituated to it
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