Leopards are opportunistic carnivores and generally prey on mid-sized ungulates, but will also eat birds, reptiles, rodents, arthropods, and carrion.
Leopards generally prey upon mid-sized ungulates, which includes small antelopes (Bovidae), gazelles (Gazella), deer (Cervidae), pigs (Sus), primates (Primates) and domestic livestock. Leopards prefer prey that weigh between 10 and 40 kilograms.
Leopards are opportunistic carnivores and eat birds (Aves), reptiles (Reptilia), rodents (Rodentia), arthropods (Arthropoda), and carrion when available. They are also known to scavenge from cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus), solitary hyaenas (Hyaenidae), and smaller carnivores as well.
When natural prey abundances are low, leopards have been known to kill livestock. Injured or sickly leopards have also been known to hunt humans as easy prey.
• Image | © Tambako The Jaguar, Some Rights Reserved (CC BY-ND 2.0)
• Sources | (African Wildlife Foundation, 2009; Hayward, Henschel, O’Brien, 2006; Hunt, 2011; Macaskill, 2009; Stander, Haden, & Kagece, 1997)
