amur leopard diet
Leopards are ambush predators; they crouch low to sneak up to their prey and pounce before it has a chance to react, according to the Animal Diversity Web, a database maintained by the Museum of Zoology at the University of Michigan. A leopard will kill its prey with one swift bite to the neck, breaking it. A leopard (Panthera pardus) watches from above. The area of the Masai Mara called Leopard Gorge is well named. Nearby watercourses attract an abundance of impalas, warthogs and gazelles. Rocky outcrops and caves provide cover for resting leopards and their young. Diet. As they grow, cubs learn to hunt small animals. The leopard is a cunning, stealthy hunter, and its prey ranges from strong-scented carrion, fish, reptiles and birds to mammals such as rodents, hares, hyraxes, warthogs, antelopes, monkeys and baboons. Leopards growl and spit with a screaming roar of fury when angry and they purr when content. They announce their presence to other leopards with a rasping or sawing cough. They have a good sense of smell and mark their ranges with urine; they also leave claw marks on trees to warn other leopards to stay away. Diet. Prey: The Amur tiger needs large prey to survive, and its main prey species are ungulates – wild boar, sika deer and red deer. In the summer tigers may prey on smaller animals such as badgers and raccoon dogs. Bears comprise about 3% of the tiger’s diet in the Russian Far East. There are rare cases on record of adult brown bears being killed and eaten by Amur tigers. Pound for pound, it is the strongest climber of the large cats and capable of killing prey larger than itself. Physical Characteristics. Leopards come in a wide variety of coat colors, from a light buff or tawny in warmer, dryer areas to a dark shade in deep forests. Description: Amur tigers are one of the larger tiger sub-species. Average weight for males is 160-190 kg, while females are smaller, at 110-130 kg. Males, females and cubs can be distinguished by their tracks: a male’s paw pad measures 10.5 – 14.5 cm across, a female’s 8.5 – 9.5. cm, and a cub’s – from 5.5 – 10 cm. Leopards have long been preyed upon by man. Their soft, dense, beautiful fur has been used for ceremonial robes and coats. Different parts of the leopard the tail, claws and whiskers are popular as fetishes. These cats have a reputation as wanton killers, but research does not support the claim. They use the full terrain of the Mara to their advantage. They are good swimmers, excellent climbers and hunt the widest variety of prey of any of the Mara's major predators. A leopard's diet can include insects, fish and reptiles, as well as grazing animals. They are as happy to scavenge a meal as hunt one. Over 90 leopard prey species have been recorded in sub-Saharan Africa alone. Size. Leopards are larger than a house cat, but leopards are the smallest members of the large cat category. They grow to only 3 to 6.2 feet (92 to 190 centimeters) long. Their tail adds another 25 to 39 inches (64 to 99 cm) to their length. Males and females vary in weight.
It include insects, fish and reptiles, as well as grazing animals.