leopards

Just like lions and tigers and cheetahs, leopards are part of the feline family. They live in places like prairies and savannahs and even in jungles. They are very majestic and beautiful animals with black or brown spots all over their body's and golden fur. Leopards are carnivores, hunting for their food, or even sometimes eating animals that are already dead that other animals have killed. They use their great speed to catch their prey. When they are not eating, they are lingering in the tree braches watching what's going on down below and napping.

There are seven different species of leopards. Each species looks slightly different which makes it easy to tell one species from another. The spots and colors can vary due to their habitat and species. The species are the African leopard, the Amur leopard (being the most rare), the Anatolian leopard, the Barbary leopard, the Sinai leopard, the South Arabian leopard, and the Zanzibar leopard. All of these leopards are strong so they can climb trees with their strong legs and claws. After they get up those trees, they blend in with the rings on their heavy tails, called rosettes.

Leopards are one of the most adaptable animals around. They can live in a wide range of places and can learn quickly from their surroundings, like the best place to store food and who to watch out for. They are also nocturnal and can hunt from on the ground or from in the trees.

Leopards do not have a specific breeding season. Cubs are born blind and weigh only half a kilo. They are vulnerable in the wild before they can follow their mother around 6 to 8 weeks from the day they were born. Leopards usually hunt medium sized animals such as deer, warthog, and rodents. Leopards have predators too. They are hunted by lions, tigers, and man. The biggest threat to leopards is trophy hunting and habitat loss.