21/08/2026
Built for stealth and remarkably adaptable, leopards are among Africa’s most successful predators.
But even for those lucky enough to have seen one in the wild, there’s plenty about them that may come as a surprise.
Here are 10 things you might not know about leopards:
1. No two coats are quite the same.
A leopard’s larger markings are known as rosettes, and their unique patterns can be used to identify individual animals.
2. Not every kill ends up in a tree.
Leopards are more likely to hoist prey when competition from scavengers such as hyenas is high. Sometimes, eating on the ground is simply easier.
3. When they do climb with a kill, their strength is extraordinary.
Research in South Africa’s Sabi Sands recorded leopards hoisting prey weighing as much as 140% of their own body weight.
4. Almost anything can be on the menu.
Antelope may be familiar prey, but leopards also eat birds, reptiles, rodents and insects. They’ve even been recorded eating beetles found in buffalo dung.
5. They’re capable swimmers.
Despite their reputation as exceptional climbers, leopards are also comfortable in water and can swim when necessary.
6. You may hear one before you see one.
A leopard’s territorial call is a deep, rasping sound often compared to someone sawing a piece of wood.
7. Mothers regularly relocate their cubs.
Young cubs spend their first weeks hidden away, and their mother may move them between den sites as she attempts to keep them safe from predators.
8. A mother’s tail can help her cubs follow.
The conspicuous white underside and tip of her tail provide a useful visual signal as cubs trail behind her through dense vegetation.
9. They can survive remarkably close to people.
Leopards have persisted in landscapes heavily altered by humans, sometimes living much closer to towns and cities than most people realise.
10. In dry country, they can go days without visiting water.
Leopards obtain much of their moisture from their prey. In arid environments, individuals have been recorded going for extended periods without drinking.
📸 Lauren Barnard
