Leopards (Panthera pardus)
- Deon Furstenburg
- May 30
- 2 min read
Leopards belong to the family Felidae and are classified in the subfamily Pantherinae—the “roaring” cats—alongside lions (Panthera leo), jaguars (P. onca), and tigers (P. tigris). Unlike their smaller purring cousins in the subfamily Felinae, these big cats possess a specialized hyoid ligament that allows their larynx to move freely and produce the powerful roars associated with the genus.
Once thought to comprise twenty-seven subspecies, taxonomic revisions have pared leopards down to eight, with some experts, as of 1995, even advocating a single, widespread subspecies, Panthera pardus. Their remarkable adaptability has enabled them to colonize nearly every habitat across Africa—from coastal plains at sea level up to alpine elevations above 5,000 m—and even the fringes of major cities such as Cape Town and Nairobi.
Solitary by nature, male and female leopards maintain largely nomadic ranges, meeting only to mate. Females will establish a denning area where they raise one to three cubs, staying there for three to four months until the young are ready to venture out independently. Adult males average around 60 kg (with some reaching 90 kg), while females average 32 kg (up to 45 kg).
As nocturnal hunters, leopards spend their nights stalking prey under the cover of darkness and shelter by day in dense riverine thickets, rocky outcrops, or kloof overhangs.
Hunting alone, leopards rely on stealth and camouflage to approach within eight metres of unsuspecting prey before launching a devastating aerial pounce. Their immense strength allows them to drag or hoist carcasses—sometimes twice their body weight—into trees or under dense brush to keep them safe from scavengers. Indeed, after the African buffalo, leopards are considered one of the continent’s most formidable terrestrial predators; when pursued, they may double back on their spoor, using the trail of their would-be follower to stage an ambush.
In local African cultures, leopards are revered as symbols of royalty—tribal kings have long donned cloaks fashioned from their skins. Melanistic (black) leopards are especially prized and relatively rare, occurring chiefly in the Lydenburg/Orighstad mountains and parts of central East Africa such as Uganda. Trackers identify their front paw prints by their roughly square 110 × 110 mm shape and hind prints at about 125 × 100 mm; both lack claw marks, as leopards retract their 25–30 mm claws when walking. Though notoriously elusive, regional studies estimate densities of 3–20 leopards per 10,000 ha, reflecting great local variation and the challenges of monitoring this secretive species
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