The leopard is a fairly large predator that belongs to the cat family. Our article will talk about how these animals breed, breed babies, and teach them the intricacies of hunting. Newborn babies are completely helpless, but soon they acquire not only a characteristic color, but also all the necessary skills to become one of the most serious predators on the planet.
Leopard
The elephant has elephants, the cow has calves, but do you know the name of the leopard cub? Dictionaries can explain that there is no special word, kids are usually called simply kittens.
An adult leopard weighs an average of 50 kg (there are also larger individuals weighing about 100 kg). A newborn kitten is born with a weight of about 400 grams. Kids are blind, defenseless, can't walk and chew.
These animals do not have a specific mating season (only the Amur subspecies reproduces in winter). Kittens can be born at any time of the year. The female’s pregnancy lasts 3 months, as a result one or two leopard cubs are usually born, but triplets are also born.
Little predators
Leopards have a number of distinctive features. The spots at birth are more like shapeless specks, only after a few weeks rosettes with red centers and dark edges are formed. Some leopards have elevated levels of melatonin, so there are so many dark spots on their skin that the animals appear black. Such leopards are called panthers (yes, this is not a separate species, but only a color feature). As a rule, the trait is inherited, black leopard cubs are born with a much darker fur coat than most relatives.
Pay attention to the pupils of the leopard - they are round, and not vertical, like a domestic cat. In the photo, the leopard cubs look like cute plush toys. But the appearance of these animals is deceiving. Mother quickly teaches them all the skills necessary for a wild beast. Kittens older than three weeks of age can already stand up for themselves.
Vivo behavior
The mother understands that sooner or later the children will grow up and leave her, which means that they must be able to take care of themselves. To this end, she brings wounded game to the lair, allowing the kittens to learn how to win. Over time, training becomes more complicated, babies begin to accompany their mother on a hunt, track her prey with her, monitor the hunt, and later try their hand at attack and pursuit.
Another necessary skill is climbing trees. Leopards do it just fine, better than most other animals. If after hunting and eating there is still some food left, the beast usually drags it onto a tree so that it will not go to jackals and wolves. By the way, the leopard itself is not averse to taking prey from someone who is weaker, for example, from a cheetah.
Leopard cubs in captivity
The leopard has virtually no natural enemies, but human activity causes significant damage to populations. In the old days, a significant number of these animals were exterminated due to beautiful hides. Today, many animals also die due to deforestation and the development of territories that they previously inhabited, as well as due to a decrease in the number of herbivores that can be hunted.
Some species were on the verge of extinction. But strict control of hunting is clearly not enough, therefore, in order to preserve populations and restore their numbers, people breed leopards in nurseries and zoos.
In captivity, a female usually gives birth to one kitten, which, if necessary, is fed by veterinarians. Specialists monitor the health of females and babies, study the behavior of animals. Of course, it’s too early to talk about complete victory, but there are still some successes in preserving the appearance.