Louisiana Zoos, Aquariums and Wildlife

White AlligatorAquarium of the Americas

Jellyfish at the AquariumJellyfish at the Aquarium

LeopardLeopard

Alexandria LA Zoo



Baton Rouge LA Zoo



Broussard LA Zoo



Monroe LA Zoo



New Orleans LA Zoo

Interesting Facts about Leopards

Like the domesticated cat, leopards will growl when angry and will purr when content.

Leopards are amazingly strong. Pound for pound, they are the strongest of the big cats. They are able to climb trees, even when carrying heavy prey to keep lions or hyenas from stealing it.

Leopards are able to run up to 36mph (or 58kmh) and can leap 20 ft (or 6 meters) horizontally and 10 ft (or 3m) vertically. They are also very strong swimmers and climbers.

Adult leopards are predominantly solitary animals. Each adult leopard has its own territory. Male territories are larger than females but they tend to overlap. They try to avoid one another, but may intrude into other's territories for mating. They mark their ranges with urine and leave claw marks on trees to warn others to stay away.

A leopard's tail is nearly as long as its entire body. This helps it with balance and enables it to make sharp turns quickly.

Leopards are mostly nocturnal, hunting prey at night.

Leopards will have two or three cubs per gestation. Mothers refrain from wandering their territories until their cubs are able to come with them. Cubs suckle for around 3 months and are kept hidden for about the first 8 weeks to protect them from predators. When a cub is two years old it will leave its mother and live on their own.

Leopards have distinctive dark markings called rosettes, which create beautiful patterns against their otherwise light fur. Black leopards have dark fur which makes it difficult to see the spots. They appear almost solid black and are often mistaken for black panthers.

During the National Geographic show 'Eye of the Leopard', a leopard killed a baboon for food. Upon noticing an infant baboon clinging to the dead baboon, the leopard amazingly carried the infant safely high a tree to guard her from hyenas. She groomed and cuddled the baby throughout the night, caring for him as she would her own cub.

Some people believe that the bones and whiskers of leopards can heal sick people. This has resulted in many leopards being killed each year and is one reason why the leopard is an endangered animal. While they were previously found in the wild in a number of areas around the world, their habitat is largely restricted to sub-Saharan Africa with small numbers also found in India, Pakistan, Malaysia, China and Indochina.

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LOUISIANA ZOOS, AQUARIUMS, and WILDLIFE