Panther
The
sleek body and color that perfectly blends with its surrounding make the
leopard probably the most successful modern predator. In India, it is
the third largest cat whose range occurs almost through the entire
country. It is also known as the panther and is often confused with the
(now extinct) cheetah. The only other similar animal is the jaguar found
in South America.
BEHAVIOUR: Leopard eats anything
they can kill from crabs to large cattle. Instances of feeding on
carrion are also known. Monkeys and domestic dogs are a favorite food.
It often carries its prey up a tree to store probably to prevent other
stronger predators from appropriating the kill. Apart from man, the
natural aeries of a leopard are other 'carnivorous' such as the tiger,
wild dogs and hyenas.
FAMILY:Leopards are
territorial and solitary. It is during the breeding season that a pair
will come together. The pair stays together up to and after the cubs
that are usually, 2-4 in number is born. The questation period is
slightly over these months.
FACTS:
These races
occur in India. They have a considerable degree of color variation.
Animals from the desert zone are paler, while in high rainfall areas of
the Western Ghats and eastern India, black leopard are not uncommon. The
most successful and adaptive among the large cats, the leopard live in
all types of habitats from open country to thick forest. Leopard will
usually avoid confrontations with a tiger or a lion as the latter are
bigger and stronger. In addition, have different habits and prey
preferences even if both species shared the same area.
