Female Leopard Emerging From The Undergrowth (Panthera pardus)
Masai Mara National Reserve
Kenya
East Africa
Happy Caturday!!!
This female leopard was hunting early in the morning. She had one cub hiding in some underbrush which I did not see. Typically when you go on a photographic tour with fourteen people, some will see something while the others do not. But, it was a privilege to have this leopard confident enough to allow people to photograph her as she moved out in the open. And, at times, we were very close.
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.
Contemporary records suggest that the leopard occurs in only 25% of its historical global range. Leopards are hunted illegally, and their body parts are smuggled in the wildlife trade for medicinal practices and decoration.
Compared to other wild cats, the leopard has relatively short legs and a long body with a large skull. Both leopards and jaguars that are melanistic are known as black panthers. 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). - Wikipedia
Female Leopard Emerging From The Undergrowth (Panthera pardus)
Masai Mara National Reserve
Kenya
East Africa
Happy Caturday!!!
This female leopard was hunting early in the morning. She had one cub hiding in some underbrush which I did not see. Typically when you go on a photographic tour with fourteen people, some will see something while the others do not. But, it was a privilege to have this leopard confident enough to allow people to photograph her as she moved out in the open. And, at times, we were very close.
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.
Contemporary records suggest that the leopard occurs in only 25% of its historical global range. Leopards are hunted illegally, and their body parts are smuggled in the wildlife trade for medicinal practices and decoration.
Compared to other wild cats, the leopard has relatively short legs and a long body with a large skull. Both leopards and jaguars that are melanistic are known as black panthers. 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). - Wikipedia