Felidae
carnivora
Mammalia
97 days.
2 or 3.
They generally hunt medium-sized ungulates, such as antelopes, gazelles, deer, pigs or cattle, and also primates. As good carnivores and opportunists, they also feed on birds, reptiles, rodents or arthropods. They prefer prey between 10-40 kg.
10-12 years in their natural habitat, and can reach up to 20 in captivity.
The Sri Lankan leopard has very dilatable pupils that allow it to see both in the dark and during the day. It has strong muscles in its extremities that act on its retractable and very hard nails, thus being able to easily climb trees with more vertical trunks.
Its long tail perfectly balances the carnivore in the large jumps it makes while hunting or chasing prey. Its fur is perfectly camouflaged among the grass and bushes, as well as in the chiaroscuro of the foliage of the trees where it usually spends the day.
They live solitary except during the mating season. We cannot speak of territory in a strict sense, but rather of an individual's range. Encounters between males are often bloody, while mothers, children and siblings seem to tolerate each other.
Hunt preferably at night. The hunting tactic is adjusted to two modalities: stalking and stalking.
It eats with exquisite cleanliness, barely staining itself and without tearing the piece that, little by little, is reduced to an empty skin that lies on the ground or hangs from the fork of a tree. If there is a pond or a stream near the feast, he sometimes interrupts his meal for a few moments and approaches to drink, but if the nearest water is at a certain distance he does not do so until his hunger is satisfied.
There are specimens that present a genetic mutation called melanism, which makes the coat appear completely black; however, under certain reflections of light, the characteristic black spots can be observed.
Contrary to popular belief, black leopards or panthers are not more ferocious than their spotted counterparts, what happens is that their appearance is more threatening, however, melanism does seem to provide an advantage when it comes to camouflage in dense forest areas.
Whether in its melanic or spotted form, the leopard's beautiful fur has made this animal a prized trophy for poachers. Man is its main enemy: during the early 60s in East Africa, some 50.000 animals died to satisfy the demand for the fur trade.
The BIOPARC Fuengirola leopards belong to the Sri Lankan subspecies, Panthera pardus kotiya, and are part of an international breeding program to establish a viable, self-sustaining population to safeguard the existence of this beautiful, endangered subspecies.
