© Copyright 2009 - 2010, all rights reserved. Leopard
Like most other wild cats, adult male leopards live alone most of the time. The only time when the male leopards are not alone is the mating time, which lasts for only a few days. The leopard’s family life consists of the lives of mother leopards and their cubs.
After the mating, the male leopard returns to its own territory. The female leopard is responsible for giving birth and raising the cubs alone. Leopard cubs are most vulnerable before they are a year old. The mother leopard protects her young tirelessly. She teaches her cubs everything they need to survive in the wild, including skills of hunting, climbing, and swimming, as well as how to avoid enemies.
Young leopards start to leave their mother when they are around 18 months. Young male leopards usually have to travel far away to find and establish their own territories. Young female leopards often share part of home range with their mother or settle near it. This creates clusters of closely related female leopards. Closely related lions also form somewhat similar groups called prides. The female leopards living in a cluster of home ranges have their separate independent lives while lions in a pride often stay together.
Leopard Family
