Watch the World’s Sneakiest Leopard Launch the Quietest Attack You’ll Ever See

Written by Sharon Parry
Updated: December 23, 2023
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This is a stealth attack using the highest-level skills. A sneaky leopard, perfectly camouflaged within the shadows of a tree, silently approaches an unsuspecting antelope. Suddenly, the predator bounds forward, and…it’s all over in an instant. Click below to watch the full video of this magnificent predator in action.

Watch the Amazing Video Now!

What Do Leopards Normally Look Like?

Leopards are a large and powerful species of wild cat. Their scientific name is Panthera pardus and there are actually several subspecies. These include P. p. fusca who live in China and P. p. kotiya who live in Sri Lanka.

Adult male leopards can weigh nearly 200 pounds and can be over six feet long. Females are between 62 and 132 pounds but can reach the same length as males.

Their body shape is characterized by strong limbs with robust forequarters and more slender hindquarters. Their coat can vary slightly by where they live. In general, those that live in forests have darker coats compared to leopards living in arid, open habitats which are paler. This is so that they can blend in with their surroundings.

leopard

Leopards have a distinctive ‘rosette’ pattern of spots

©iStock.com/UrmasPhotoCom

Their markings are distinctive and consist of a pale cream to buff-gray background color. However, this can also be darker. The background color graduates to a lighter shade towards the chest, belly, throat, and underside of the tail. A leopard’s spots are small and black and arranged in a ‘rosette pattern’ around an unspotted center that is darker than the background color. However, on the limbs, throat, and tail they are simply solid, large spots. The face and neck have small, solid, black spots.

Is This Normal Hunting Behavior for Leopards?

Yes, leopards are solitary hunters who use a stalk or ambush technique of hunting. What you see here is typical of the way a leopard stalks their prey by crouching close to the ground with their belly practically on the grass. The eyes and ears are focused on the prey and they get to about 16 feet away before making a move.

They like short chases, just like this one, and pounce on the target to drag it to the ground. Usually, they will kill an animal of this size with a bite to the neck. Sadly, it’s game over for this antelope!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © iStock.com/lightstock


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About the Author

Dr Sharon Parry is a writer at A-Z animals where her primary focus is on dogs, animal behavior, and research. Sharon holds a PhD from Leeds University, UK which she earned in 1998 and has been working as a science writer for the last 15 years. A resident of Wales, UK, Sharon loves taking care of her spaniel named Dexter and hiking around coastlines and mountains.

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