Can You Tell A Leopard From Its Spots?
Let’s start this story with a test. Which cat is the leopard?
#1
Or #2?
If you guessed #2 you are right! The first big cat is a cheetah. Seeing either spotted cat on the African savanna is always a special treat. Both leopards and cheetahs have long tails with white tips. The image above is Figlet, one of the famous leopards of the Olare Motorogi Conservancy in Kenya. The white tip of her tail waved like a flag helping me track her route through the tall grass. Leopards often stalk their prey in long grass. Their spotted coats make them almost invisible.
Leopards are more compact and muscular than cheetahs. They have a unique pattern of “rosettes” across their backs and bodies that are light tan in the centre and outlined with black. Here’s Fig, Figlet’s mother, in a regal pose showing off her distinctive rosette spots and beautiful string of black pearls encircling her neck.
Cheetahs are like the Thoroughbred racehorses of the feline world. They are tall, elegant, and FAST. Known as the fastest mammal on land, they can reach speeds of 80-128 km/h (50 - 80 mph). It is something to witness a cheetah sprint after a gazelle or impala. Their flexible spine allows them to stretch out up to 30’ in the air! It almost looks like the back end is unhinged from the front end. Their back legs reach past their front legs propelling their body forward with each stride. And this all happens in a split second.
Their small faces have two distinct black lines known as “cheetah tears” descending from the corner of their eyes down their cheeks. Because cheetahs pursue their prey during the day, these black lines help reflect the sun’s glare when they are hunting.
Cheetah’s spots are solid, more like “polka dots.”
I will never forget coming across a mother cheetah at the end of the day mewing for her cubs. Cheetah mothers hide their babies when they go off to hunt. This mom returned to find her cubs missing. They did not answer her call. Likely a lion or hyena found them while she was away. It was heartbreaking to hear her piteous call as she sat bereft and alone on the savanna. We all cried tears for the cheetah that day.
Here a short checklist and some cat facts to help you know one spotted cat from the other.
Leopard:
Compact, athletic, powerful
Broad head with blue eyes
Hunts at night, is cunning and stealthy
Great climber
Hides its kill in trees to protect from scavengers like hyenas
Has rosette spots and a necklace like black pearls
Long tail with a white tip
Adults weigh 67 - 176 lbs.
Stalks antelope, deer and pigs in tall grass or pounces on prey from trees
A strong swimmer
Has 1 -3 cubs
Cheetah:
Long legged and FAST
The fastest land mammal (80-128 km/h)
Spotted with black solid dots over entire body
Small head with short snout and black tear-like facial lines
Has a very long tail with a white tip that it uses like a rudder when sprinting and turning
Adults weigh between 46 and 159 lbs.
Active during the day, peak times dawn and dusk
Stalks its prey to within 60-70 m then makes a dash to catch it, biting its throat and suffocating it to death
Cheetahs only eat fresh meat, often they lose their kill to hyenas or lions
They can have up to 6 cubs but survival rate is low
New to the Store this Week
2 each of: Lion Couple, Lion Lick, Zebra and Foal, Approaching Elephants, and Fig and Figlet
Animals have a unique power to express the most wonderful emotions. From my safari trips across Kenya, I have carefully selected these images to share with you as special-occasion photo cards. Send them to a loved one for an anniversary, congratulations, birth announcement, or just to let them you know are thinking of them. Every card is printed with the photograph on the front, and opens to a blank interior in which you can write your personal message. Bring a smile to a special someone's face today.
You can also purchase any of these images as an 8x10 inch print here.