Leopard
Read MoreThis leopard cub, less than a year old, was left in the fork of a tree by its mother, and told 'to stay 'put' while she goes hunting for their dinner. We know that she was hiding nearby, because we heard barking from a small group of zebra grazing in the area who were concerned of her presence. Perhaps they had a young colt with them. The cub would wait there patiently, no matter how long, until its mother returned. The cub obliged me by putting out the tip of its tongue. [Seronara, Tanzania].
Young Leopard cub in a forkof a tree. We estimated that this leopard youngster to be about 2-1/2 months old, awaiting it's mother's return from her hunt. Leopard mothers, like cheetah, must raise and defend their cubs by themselves. The father will not be back until the female is ready to mate again--and that won't happen so long as she is nursing this cub. Note the big paws. [South Luangwa NP, Zambia]
A young leopard male on a limb, digesting the contents of its full belly. I have always been impressed by how comfortable a leopard is while lying in what appears to me to be a very awkward position on a bough of a tree. I have also been impressed by how nimbly this species can navigate in a tree [S. Luangwa NP, Zambia]
A Leopard male standing in a woodlands at night: We think that this beautiful fellow, who is in his prime, was out hunting. Earlier, we saw him roll in some buffalo dung to reduce his leopard-scent. I put this and the next image in sequence so that the viewer could see the substantial difference in the body-build between the two sexes. Both images taken at night using flash. [Kulefu, South Luangwa NP, Zambia]
A Leopard female standing. It's nighttime and this lady's favorite time to hunt, because it's easier. All the carnivores have superb night vision. By comparison, their prey (impala, and other small herbivore) night vision is poor. Compare this female with the male (previous image). A flash picture. [Kulefu, South Luangwa NP, Zambia].
Leopard with baboon in his jaws: The young male took a big risk snatching a juvenile baboon out of its troop. If he had been seen by the others, the big male baboons would have fearlessly pursued and attacked him. Being young and not fully grown, he would be no match for even one of those big fellows, much less the 2 or 3 that would have descended on him. Therefore, he had to exercise great patience and caution in selecting one that had strayed some distance from the pack. It looks like he ate a lot of the baboon on the ground, thus lightening the carcass. I got only 3 shots with flash, before he vanished with his prey into the vault of the tree! [Okavanga River Delta area, Botswana].
Leopard with Stored Kill in Tree
An adult female leopard is lying in the grass (lower R), having eaten much of its kill on the ground, and so she wedged the remains into a fork of the tree (upper L corner). She then lay down to digest her meal. But the next day, the putrefaction within the kill unbalanced it, and the carcass fell to the ground. Spotted Hyenas, with their superb sense of smell, detected the odor, came, chased her away, and devoured the remains. [South Luangwa NP,Zambia].
This old male giraffe died a natural death. The young male leopard was first to find it, but its jaws were not strong enough to 'open' the abdomen (nor would an adult leopard's). The giraffe's abdominal muscle and fascia would have been at least 2 inches thick). Only a lion, hyena, or man (using a cutting instrument) could accomplish that feat. Thus, this young adult leopard could avail himself of only the genitals and the tongue (because the mouth was open). Next day, we found that the park guards had opened the body with machetes making this 3000 lb. carcass a feast for all the carnivores. [Hwange NP, Zimbabwe]
A triptich: To witness and photograph 3 Leopards (from L>R: male, female, cub) together in the same place for 5 days is most unusual. But there is an interesting probable explanation for this very rare occurrence. In the small area, each leopard knew and tolerated the other's presence. A big, mature male lying (L) in grass, an adult female (Ctr), and a juvenile male of approx.14 mos. (R), lies complacently by the waterhole. One would expect the big male to have driven off the youngster, or the latter, fearing for his safety, would have fled. The most likely explanation is that the big male had returned to mate again with the female. The youngster, being of an age when he would normally still be with his mother, and being a product of their previous mating, was tolerated by both adults. For 5 days we visited this 'family'. (There really is no such thing as a leopard 'family'. The male usually stays around for no more than a day or two. The mothers must raise the cubs entirely on their own). This was an event that even the owner of the lodge, and the guides had never before witnessed. [Deception Valley, Botswana].
Leopard Cub-young male-3rd image
Leopard Cub-young male-3rd image: The 14 mos. cub was the same as in the triptich. Please see captions in preceding 4 images.[Deception Valley, Botswana].
This big male leopard has had a huge meal and most of his stomach is temporarily hanging through the crotch of a limb. It demonstrates how comfortable a leopard feels in a tree. How he could be comfortable lying on his left front and hind legs wedged between his belly and hard wood, I wouldn't know. [Masai Mara, Kenya]