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 Elusive, secretive, and very shrewd, the leopard is the strongest climbing member of the larger cats. This magnificent animal is capable of killing prey far larger than itself.
The coloring of the leopard varies from white to bright golden brown, spotted with black spots and rosettes. The rosettes consist of groups of 5 to 6 spots arranged in a tight ring. The tail is longer than half the body length measured from head to tail. This fierce animal has small round ears and long whiskers growing from dark spots on the upper lip. The size of the leopard varies considerably.
The leopard ranges in size from 3 to almost 6 feet in length, and weighs between 60 and 140 pounds. Females are typically about two-thirds the size of males.
The leopard inhabits bush and riverine forests. It can be seen near thickets on mountain sides or along streams and rivers. Leopards are mainly nocturnal, but it is not uncommon to see them in daylight, especially in the early mornings and late afternoons. They usually live alone except in the mating season. They are shy, cunning and very dangerous, especially if wounded. Leopards are very good tree
climbers and can pull large prey up a tree to protect it from other predators or scavengers in the vicinity. They return later to feed again.
Leopards are basically solitary and go out of their way to avoid one another. Each animal has a home range that overlaps with its neighbors; the male's range is much larger and generally overlaps with those of several females. A leopard usually does not tolerate intrusion into its own range except to mate.
Because there are no Lion or Hyena in this part of Namibia the Leopard and Cheetah are at the top of the food chain. In years past the Leopard was hunted hard as vermin by the cattle farmers. The ones that are there now are the offspring of the smartest survivors and are very wary and a challenge to hunt. They are very difficult to entice to come to baits and a true hunters trophy when you
manage to get one.
The leopard is carnivorous and feeds on small animals and antelopes.
Leopard breed throughout the year. The gestation period is 3 months and two to three offspring are born..
The leopard can live up to
20 years.
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