Sunday, November 14, 2010

Facts about the leopard

Leopards are not social butterflies, infact they are loners and it is not unusual to see several leopards lying lazily on separate trees around the park as they await their prey. They belong to the larger cat family.Their life span is twenty one years with their only predators being man who hunt them for their fur to make mink coats. Some hunt them because of their superstitious inclinations for their whiskers believing that they have healing powers.
It is capable of killing its prey that is even twice as large as their body mass because of its strength.
When not hunting, the leopard moves through herds of antelopes and gazelles without disturbing them and flips its tail over its back to reveal the white side as a sign that it is not seeking prey.
When food is scarce, the hide their kill on trees away form hyenas who scavenge for their prey.
They are the most cunning of predators when hunting. (Perhaps the saying should be changed to as cunning as a leopard)
Weird as it sounds, a leopards tail is just as long as its body as this helps it to balance and to make sudden sharp turns when sprinting for prey.

wild Safaris Africa See the Leopard here

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