The African Leopard

The African leopard is a subspecies native to Africa and can be found across most of sub-Saharan Africa. They can adapt easily to changes and survive in almost any habitat, including rainforests, deserts, woodlands, grassland, savannas and so forth. In fact, this mysterious animal can be found in more locations than any other big cat. Adding to their resilience is their gourmand personality, meaning that leopards are not picky at all when it comes to food and at least 92 prey species have been discovered as part of their diet. Impalas are at the top of their list of favorite foods.

Leopards are nocturnal animals that spend most of their time in solitude hunting primarily during sunset and sunrise. And just like a house cat might decide to ruin your furniture out of the blue, leopards will mark their territory with urine and leave claw marks on trees. Other leopards will be allowed to set foot on their territory only when it’s time for mating. They are notorious for their nimbleness and are able to run up to 36 miles per hour and leap 19 feet.

Leopards may be small in size, but their strength is impressive to say the least. A leopard will kill its prey with one lethal bite to the neck and often carry it up a tree to hide it from lions or hyenas that might steal it. They can survive for long periods of time without water because if push comes to shove, they will simply obtain it from their prey. Leopards are ambush hunters as their golden fur and black rosettes provide the perfect camouflage, making sneaking up on their prey a specialty. Ironically, they are usually hunted using bait, like an impala hung on a branch not far from a blind, allowing hunters to ambush them.

This kitty will purr when its feeling satisfied and growl when it’s angry, but will also make noises similar to a rasping cough to signal their presence to other leopards. So if you recently purchased a cat and it starts coughing out of nowhere, either take it to the vet or quietly leave the house. Jokes aside, this is an animal very difficult to track down, often alone and quite secretive, this member of the Big Five is a bad little kitty that will definitely make your hunt challenging.