The Solitary Cat Leopard - (Panthera Pardus)

By Fred Ogilo Fred Ogilo
Level: Basic

I am an ambitious and resourceful Kenyan, laid back and sociable. I have great passion for hospitality and human resource in general. i have critical ...

Leopard is among the big five found in Masai Mara National park. It is the most graceful and agile of the large cats. African Leopards found in Kenya parks have great variations in skin color depending on location of habitat, they vary from pale yellow to deep golden color with black spots. They are powerfully built animals with an average weight between 55-60kg for males and 35-40kg for females.

Leopards are very elusive animals, its qualities of being secretive, shy, and nocturnal have made it succeed and adapt to man dominated environment, the fact that they only come out at night and spend most of the their day time in thick forest and high branches of trees above the ground makes it the most difficult animal to observe.

They have varied diets which includes insects, rodents, reptiles and large mammals like antelopes and occasionally come into conflict with man by stealing domestic livestock like goats, sheep and poultry. They usually use their cunning ability to hunt, they stock their prey closely and pounce on them, killing is always suffocation by holding the prey's throat. Their hunts are eaten up on trees tops, to protect carcass from scavengers like hyenas, lions which may contest for the kill, the left overs are always kept safely for another meal. Leopards are very strong and climb up to the tree tops with their preys whose weights exceed their own weight, this strength lies in their strong muscles.

It is said that Leopards are solitary cats that live alone in a specified marked territory except for the mating period when the male is seen with the female, and after mating they part ways again. Females also are only accompanied with the cubs when she still nurses them after short period when they can fend for themselves they part ways to look for their own territories.

I am an ambitious and resourceful Kenyan, laid back and sociable. I have great passion for hospitality and human resource in general. I have critical and important information about Kenya and Tanzania and ready to help friends and travelers from all over the world especially those who would like to visit Kenya and Tanzania parks and game reserves. Currently I work with Adventure Panorama Safaris, a reliable and affordable Kenya and Tanzania tour company with offices in both Nairobi and Arusha.
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Article Submitted On: February 23, 2011