Leopards: Kings of Stealth

In this blog, I am not only going to post the goings of my guinea pigs (and cats, and dogs) but I will be posting my reports on animals. Yesterday I did a report on the leopard.

The leopard is a graceful and powerful big cat. They are closely related to the lion, tiger, and jaguar. Jaguars and leopards look very much alike. Yet they have differences. You will most likely never have two before you and not know which one is which for many reasons. A: if you do have both before you, you are probably at a zoo and they will have the two big cats apart, b: the jaguar lives in South America while the leopard lives in Africa. C: in the middle of the rosettes, jaguars have a spot while leopards do not. D: Jaguars are bulkier and stronger than the lean, graceful leopard.

Leopards and jaguars alike do not have spots. That is what the cheetah has, these big cats have rosettes. 

Leopards practically live in trees. They hunt in trees from time to time, they sleep in trees, keep their kills safe by hauling them up into trees, among other activities. The leopard's pelt is perfect for staying in their woodland home because of their dappled pelt. The spots look like only shadows against the bark of the tree, while their golden fur blends into the grass and the bark.

They are night predators, and hunt antelope, deer, and pigs. They also are strong swimmers and not afraid to get their paws wet. They also catch crab and fish.

Mother leopards can give birth to cubs regardless the time of the year. The cubs are fluffy and gray, with only a few faint spots dotting their pelt. They stay with their mother for their first two years of life and leave after that. Their mother teaches them how to survive in the wild.

There are no real panthers. Panthers are just leopards or jaguars that are black. If you look closely, you can see a faint pattern of spots dotting their fur. Some panthers' spots are easier to see than others. 

Leopards are excellent hunters and fighters. They learn how to cope with the world and in my opinion, they are an awesome cat.

This is a leopard, probably watching a kill and waiting for the time to strike.

 This is a clouded leopard.

 Leopards sleep in the trees they put their prey in to warn off other predators. 

This is a Snow Leopard, a rare kind of leopard that lives in the mountains. Scientists are finding new ways to help these secretive cats survive in the wild as people love their fur coats. 
There are LAWS against hunting them!