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Leopard

Panthera pardus

Acute Cat Senses: As a member of the cat family, leopards share many of the same characteristics as other cats, such as tigers, bobcats, lynx and even the family cat. Leopards, like other cats, have acute senses. Their large, funnel-shaped ears can easily detect the rustling sounds of prey. Their forward-looking eyes allow them to see for long distances, and the flexible pupil can contract to a pinhole in bright light and expand widely to see in the dark.

Coat of Many Colors: Of all the cats, however, the leopard's fur color varies the most between individuals. Color usually is a reflection of geographic location. Leopards of the desert are pale yellow; those living among grasses take on a deeper shade of yellow; and in dense forests melanic leopards, known as black panthers, are comfortable hidden among the trees.

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DID YOU KNOW?

Taking To the Trees: Leopards are just at home in trees as they are on the ground. They spend entire days lounging on a tree branch, and can descend a tree headfirst.

Superior Strength: The leopard is so powerful that it can haul an animal carcass three times its own weight up a tree, where it will feed safe from scavengers like hyenas and lions.

A Solitary Species: Leopards are solitary cats with large home ranges. Males have exceptionally large ranges in comparison to females, and tend to be very aggressive toward one another. Male-male encounters often end fatally.

Cough, Cough: Leopards announce their presence to other leopards with a rasping or sawing cough.