The [M 003 / Seronera Valley] is as famous for leopards as it is for lions. When they are not hunting, they can usually be found stretched out on branches of trees. The leopard is territorial and with the exception of mothers with cubs, are almost always solitary. A female has a territory of 4-12 square miles - smaller than the male's - which is maintained for several years.
The coat of the [P 007 / leopard] has black spots on a brownish yellow background with a spotted white underside. The spots on the head are smaller and larger on the back, stomach and limbs. The long tail with tip head up exposes a white underside enabling the young to follow their mother through dense vegetation. The leopard is often mistaken with another spotted cat, the cheetah. Among other differences, the leopard's spots are clustered and the cheetah's are single.
Like the lion, the leopard usually hunts at night and rests in the heat of the day. It stalks its prey to within a close distance before it begins a short chase and, using retractile claws, straddles the body of its prey between its forelegs. Once the prey is on the ground, the leopard kills with a bite to the throat. Unlike the lion, leopards usually hunt alone.
Their competition with other large predators is reduced because they prey on a wide variety of birds and small mammals including the hare, [I 007 / hyrax], and jackal. Their larger prey includes impalas, Thomson's gazelles, and young wildebeest calves. Occasionally, they will prey on larger antelope species. However, because it hunts alone, its success in hunting larger animals is limited.
Since the solitary leopard is unable to defend its kill on the ground from scavenging lions and hyenas which travel in groups, it will often pull its kill onto a branch of a tree where it may leave it unattended for hours. Other predators rarely go through the trouble of scavenging the leopards kills from trees. Unlike the cheetah, which only eats fresh meat, the leopard will feed on [G 07 / carrion] for days.
Like the cheetah, females raise their cubs alone. The litter [L3 503 / size] ranges from one to six cubs. They are born blind and weigh about 20 ounces. The cubs are kept well hidden until they begin to follow their mother at about eight weeks. The mother cares for the cubs until she mates again when the cubs are about 18 months old.
