View allAll Photos Tagged leopard
"I'm going to pretend you are not there. Go away."
Think I like this one best of the snow leopard ones. It was a nice sunny day and I could have happily dozed in the sunshine too, so this picture reminds me of the day.
Taken @ Olmense Zoo, Olmen
The leopard , Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its range of distribution has decreased radically because of hunting and loss of habitat. It is now chiefly found in sub-Saharan Africa; there are also fragmented populations in Indonesia, Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Indochina, Malaysia, and China. Because of its declining range and population, it is listed as a "Near Threatened" species by the IUCN.
Compared to other members of the Felidae family, the leopard has relatively short legs and a long body with a large skull. It is similar in appearance to the jaguar, but is smaller and more slightly built. Its fur is marked with rosettes similar to those of the jaguar, but the leopard's rosettes are smaller and more densely packed, and do not usually have central spots as the jaguars do. Both leopards and jaguars that are melanistic (completely black or very dark) are known as black panthers.
The species' success in the wild is in part due to its opportunistic hunting behavior, its adaptability to habitats, its ability to run at speeds approaching 58 kilometres per hour (36 mph), its unequaled ability to climb trees even when carrying a heavy carcass, and its notorious ability for stealth. The leopard consumes virtually any animal that it can hunt down and catch. Its habitat ranges from rainforest to desert
snow leopard / Schneeleopard / L'once (Panthera uncia), aussi appelée irbis, panthère des neiges ou léopard des neiges / Panthera uncia
Pictures from my book 'Centurio the little snow leopard'
Female Amur Leopard at Yorkshire wildlife Park, in the nursery enclosure with her 2 cubs. Doncaster. UK. December 2015.
Leopard at Ngala Private Game Reserve, where we were blessed with eight great sightings in four days. We tracked this female for about 20 minutes in the dusk as she led her two cubs back to a kill, a young impala. Read my published travel article about Ngala Place of the Lion. © Andy Withers
This photo was taken in 1983. I was on a bus between the airport and the Mala Mala game reserve in South Africa. Just inside the reserve the driver slammed on the brakes, shushed everyone, and pointed to the left. There, standing in the brush no more than 50 feet from us, was this gorgeous leopard. Fortunately, I was on the left side of the bus and had my camera equipment with me. I put on a 200mm lens, rolled down my window, braced the lens on the window frame, and got this image.
Three Leyland Leopards on the bus park at Halifax Bus Station. A SYPTE Leopard flanked by two WYPTE Leopards. Shot taken in July 1982.
snow leopard / Schneeleopard / L'once (Panthera uncia), aussi appelée irbis, panthère des neiges ou léopard des neiges / Panthera uncia
Pictures from my book 'Centurio the little snow leopard'
at Leopard Heights, in Yorkshire Wildlife Park....a fantastic enclosure built for the purpose of being stimulating for the animal. Lots of wooden beams and platforms for him to climb as well as grasslands - seen here just in nick of time through glass window. Doncaster, South Yorks, UK. May 2015.
Mother and son.
I got lucky to have arrived at this exhibit just as the leopards were being let out so they were still active.
Leopard at Ngala Private Game Reserve, where we were blessed with eight great sightings in four days - including this cat that walked right on by our Land-Rover. Read my published travel article about Ngala Place of the Lion. © Andy Withers
Is that a warthog I can see over there?
The tourists happily snap away, unaware that there is a potential dinner feast nearby. In fact we did think that may be she had heard the herd of impala that we passed on the road near the lodge but in fact it was a family of warthog, well disguised in the long grass.
The recent rains has bought the bush totally to life, the tallest grasses are now reaching the bottom branches of the trees, making tracking and observing the animals very difficult. Even the hunters are taking to high ground to find a better vantage point, before using the vegetation as the perfect camouflage for the hunt.