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African Leopard

The leopard is a solitary cat with males weighing up to 175 pounds, females 70 pounds. These spotted cats vary in color significantly over their range and can be black (although this is rare in South Africa, but more common in India see our black panther gallery). The leopard is not the largest of cats, but is none the less an efficient hunter. After making a kill, they often move the prey up in a tree to protect it from lions and hyenas. I've included some shots of a leopard at the bottom of a tree and then in the branches with a full grown impala. Even more amazing is the photo of a warthog lying across a branch. So assuming that even African "pigs can't fly", it must have been put there by the large male lying in the shade about 25 yards away (the warthog photo appears after the suspected leopard). The majority of cats in this section were found and photographed in Sabi Sands Reserve and Kruger Park, both located in the Republic of South Africa, and most recently in
Etosha Park Namibia. Some of the leopard shots were taken within 5 feet of the animals. (We were in a vehicle at all times, sometimes, an open vehicle!!) Most photos were taken early in the day, or early in the evening. Some were taken after dark with the aid of a spot light. I've really gotten to like the effect of the spotlight. Hope you enjoy.
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"S" Leopard
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"S" Leopard

Sabie SandsLeopardSouth AfricaAfrican leopard

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  • "S" This photo more closely depicts the loation. By the way in this and the previous photos nothing was done to the photos to enhance the color. This is also true of the next several. They were shot with multiple cameras and settings, over about an hour as the sun was going down. Some used flash some were strictly ambiant light and others had the spot for illumination. Many of our photos with flash have the green eye. These were not put on the site.
  • "S" Not sure why the sky came out this color. Any suggestions?
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  • "S" This photo provides a good view of the impala.
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  • "S" This seems to be a common pose for leopards. The photo was taken near dusk.
  • Well we've finally got on to another cat. This is a large Male who is named Mafufunyanna he use to be the dominent male of the entire region of over 10,000 acres. More recently a younger cat named Tyson has taken over most of his range. Mafufunyanna is 13 years old and his weight is about 165 pounds. This is a very large cat. Later in this trip we saw him chased up a tree by a pride of lions. He was lucky that they had just eaten lunch. An elephant!!! The Ellie had died of constipation. The females were too full to go up or he might not have survived the encounter.
  • "S" Leopard looks for his next meal.
  • "S" Leopard
  • "S" He is a good looking male leopard
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  • "S" Leopard in tree
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