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Leopard Portrait (Panthera pardus)

Mala Mala Game Reserve

Near Kruger National Park

South Africa

 

Happy Caturday !!

 

The driver and guide in our jeep were tracking this unknown young male leopard thru thick undergrowth. He decided to climb up onto a small hill to rest. He hunkered down on the top with not much more than his head showing and decided to stay there. We were with him for at least thirty minutes, so we started taking head shots. After about thirty minutes or so, he rose and headed to the road.

 

The leopard (Panthera pardus) is one of the five species in the genus Panthera, a member of the Felidae. The leopard occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia and is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because leopard populations are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation and are declining in large parts of the global range.

 

The leopard is distinguished by its well-camouflaged fur, opportunistic hunting behaviour, broad diet, and strength (which it uses to move heavy carcasses into trees), as well as its ability to adapt to various habitats ranging from rainforest to steppe, including arid and montane areas, and its ability to run at speeds of up to 58 kilometres per hour (36 mph).- Source Wikipedia

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Uploaded on August 7, 2021
Taken on September 30, 2015