Leopard Hunting

Leopards are predators. They hunt and kill other animals. Leopards are among the most skillful and successful hunters in the wild. That is one of the main reasons they can survive in a variety of habitats.

Leopards are mostly nocturnal. They hunt during the night when their prey is most active. Leopards cannot run very fast for long; therefore, they usually hunt by stalking or ambushing their prey. As they wait, they sit still patiently and blend in well with the background. Leopards can see well even in the dark, and they have very sensitive hearing as well. Once they locate their prey, they stalk their target silently with great care and patience. They try to get as close as possible to their prey without being noticed. As soon as they get close enough to their prey, they dash forward, leap on top of their victim, and grab it with their powerful front paws. If the prey is small, the leopard will kill it by cutting its spinal cord with a bite at the back of the neck. If the prey is large, the leopard usually tries to bite it on the throat and holds on tightly until it suffocates to death. The prey sometimes fights back violently. Leopards may get injured during a hunting fight.

A leopard may also hide among the leaves on a tree branch and drop down on the prey passing by. It can hunt while in a tree, chasing monkeys, baboons and birds. Sometimes, leopards lie on the banks of rivers or lakes and flip fish out of the water with their paws. More amazingly, leopards can jump straight in the air up to 10 feet (3 meters) high to catch birds.

Leopards are smaller members of the big cat family; however, they can kill some prey much bigger and heavier than themselves, such as young giraffes and zebras. Furthermore, they can carry prey up to three times of their weight to the nearest hiding place and even lift it up a tree where the meal is devoured without any threat from other predators on the ground. This is an amazing feat.

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