Leopard

Panthera pardus

Leopards spend most of their time in trees. After they catch their prey they will take it up a tree to protect it from predators.

Leopards can run up to 35 mph, and cover 20 feet in a single bound. They can also jump 10 feet straight up into the air.

There are about 240,000 leopards left in the wild and their population is decreasing, but they're listed as "Near Threatened" on conservation status (the 2nd lowest an animal can get). (By clicking the picture above you will be redirected to a page that shows the hunting trophies of leopards from 2010 - 2014).

Leopards are very opportunistic animals and have an extremely flexible diet. They will consume protein in almost any form, from beetles up to antelopes twice its own weight. It caches sizeable kills in trees, returning nightly to feed on them. Their main diet consists of over 30 different species including: medium sized antelopes (reedbuck, impala, and gazelles) and the young of larger species (hartebeest, wildebeest, and zebra) as the primary food sources, with hares, birds and small carnivores rounding out the list. They have even been known to include the occasional baboon in their diet.

After a gestation of 90-100 days, females produce a litter of 1-3 cubs.

They weigh between 14.1 - 24.69 ounces at birth, and are covered with dark, woolly fur peppered with indistinct spotting. Their eyes open between seven and ten days, and they begin to walk around two weeks of age. Weaned at three or four months, the young separate from their mother between 18 – 24 months