Watch This Agile Leopard Bound Between Trees While Trying to Snatch a Monkey

Picture this: two trees, one leopard, and a monkey. Sound like a setup for a punchline? Actually, it’s a close encounter that occurred at the Sabi Sands Nature Reserve in South Africa. In the video below, we see how well a monkey stacks up against a leopard in a tree-climbing contest. Things look equally matched for a short time until the feline ups the ante and shows how nimble cats really can be. The action culminates into just a few last insane jumps, leaving the real tree champ the victor!

The monkey seen in this race for survival is likely a vervet monkey, a versatile and clever tree primate. These small critters are amazingly as adept at traveling on land as they are in trees. The same could be said about the lithe leopard, though, because they are arboreal masters themselves. Not only are they physically adapted for such feats, they strongly rely on trees for a great majority of their hunting tactics.

That said, let’s examine these critters in more detail to see who really is the master of the treetops.

How Fast Are Leopards?

While not cheetahs by any stretch, the leopard is still formidably swift. Capable of reaching speeds of around 30 MPH, they have plenty of speed to ambush prey with. They are clearly built for more overall versatility than sprinting, but with that tradeoff comes an astounding skill for climbing and jumping.

Unrelated to their speed, leopards utilize an uncommon feline language. Instead of roars and meows, as might often be seen, they make a unique barking sound along with a special “chuffle” sound. Don’t worry, similar to many other cats, they still purr and growl as expected when the time is right!

How Much Do Vervets Like Trees?

You could say these monkeys like trees a lot. Vervets primarily rely on them for safety, as many predators are unable to climb after them. Did you know that vervets often don’t stray very far from the trees they consider their home? If a group of vervets find nice, tall trees near water, they have little reason to venture too far off.

Here’s a random fun fact about the vervet: they are sometimes called “green monkeys.” Although not truly green, the yellow-brown range of colors seen in their coats can give the impression of green. This helps to hide them among the local treetops they frequent!

Catch This Treetop Action if You Can

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Sheri Lim/Shutterstock.com