Peeping Leopard Houston Zoo

Taken at the Houston Zoo. It was a hot day at the zoo so most of the animals were resting in the shade. This leopard lazily opened one eye to see... more

by TN Fairey

Title

Peeping Leopard Houston Zoo

Artist

TN Fairey

Medium

Photograph - Photographs

Description

Taken at the Houston Zoo. It was a hot day at the zoo so most of the animals were resting in the shade. This leopard lazily opened one eye to see what was going on. Unfortunately this beautiful animal was someone's "Pet" and the owner had him declawed (How cruel) so for that reason he could not be returned to the wild.

Leopards are graceful and powerful big cats closely related to lions, tigers, and jaguars. They live in sub-Saharan Africa, northeast Africa, Central Asia, India, and China. However, many of their populations are endangered, especially outside of Africa.
The leopard is so strong and comfortable in trees that it often hauls its kills into the branches. By dragging the bodies of large animals aloft it hopes to keep them safe from scavengers such as hyenas. Leopards can also hunt from trees, where their spotted coats allow them to blend with the leaves until they spring with a deadly pounce. These nocturnal predators also stalk antelope, deer, and pigs by stealthy movements in the tall grass. When human settlements are present, leopards often attack dogs and, occasionally, people.
Leopards are strong swimmers and very much at home in the water, where they sometimes eat fish or crabs.
Female leopards can give birth at any time of the year. They usually have two grayish cubs with barely visible spots. The mother hides her cubs and moves them from one safe location to the next until they are old enough to begin playing and learning to hunt. Cubs live My grateful thanks to the following Administrators for the feature in the following groups
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Uploaded

May 27th, 2014