See This Clever Leopard Use This Tourist Vehicle As Coverage Before He Pounces

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There are so many things to distract us in our daily lives. Whether we get distracted on the highway, at work, or even at home trying to clean the house, it is easy to be pulled from focusing on something else. However, when predators are hunting in the wild, being distracted can be a matter of life and death. Let’s look at how laser-focused this leopard is in the video above!

Leopard Sighting in Zimbabwe

The YouTube video at the top of this blog post takes us to Zimbabwe in South Africa. Zimbabwe is home to over 350 species of mammals, over 500 bird species, and over 130 species of fish. The Snakes of Zimbabwe YouTube page shared this short clip on their channel.

Leopard Hunting in South Africa

As the video starts we see that a safari tour has stopped as they have caught sight of a leopard mid-hunt. It might be easy to assume that wildlife in Africa would be bothered by tours that go through where they live. However, wildlife is used by people as so many tours happen in South Africa. For example, one of the most famous places to go on a safari tour is the Kruger National Park in South Africa. 

This clever leopard doesn’t even skip a beat when the safari stops. He won’t let this deter his hunt. This leopard uses it to his advantage, and he crawls under the Jeep for coverage. He slips underneath as if it is the easiest thing in the world.

Once on the other side of this vehicle, he stops to survey his prey. Notice how carefully he puts one paw before the other to make a sound barely. 

Are Leopards Quiet When Hunting?

Leopards (Panthera pardus) belong to the family Felidae. Other members of this family are cheetahs, lions, serval, snow leopards, and caracal, to list a few. As we might assume, felines are known for their ability to be incredibly quiet when hunting, and the leopard is no different. 

The Africa Geographic adds that leopards “are silent, efficient ambush predators and know how to use their camouflage to best effect, often grabbing their prey before it registers what is happening.” 

Leopards have sharp claws made of keratin (the stuff your hair is made of.) These claws are retractable. Once released, they make for a deadly swipe once their prey is in their grasp. As carnivores, Leopards will prey on deer, warthogs, and rodents.

As we can see from the video posted at the top, this leopard was laser-focused on his hunt and did not allow any distractions to take him off course. After all, that would probably have been the difference between him being able to eat or starve that day.