The leopard (Panthera pardus) is a large cat with short, muscular limbs. Leopards are heavier and more strongly built than cheetahs, but still one third the size of lions. Leopards in the Serengeti ecosystem have coats with a light cream or tan background, a moderately dense pattern of black rosettes with brown centres on the back and upper limbs, and solid black spots on the face, lower limbs, throat, and a whitish underside. These features make a leopard look striking when isolated in a photograph, but, against the dark and light backgrounds in woodlands and tall grasses, they dissolve the outline of the leopard’s body.

Leopards are adaptable to diverse habitats and are the most widely distributed of all wild cat species. In Africa, their range extended throughout most of the continent, except for its driest regions. Today, leopards are extinct or critically endangered in most of northern and western Africa.

Leopards are excellent climbers as well as capable swimmers. Their diet varies according to its habitat and can include insects, fish, reptiles, birds, and antelopes up to three times their own weight, though they prefer small and medium-size mammals. Leopards hunt at night, stalking slowly through grass and bushes, preferring to pounce on their prey from a few meters away, rather than chase after them. A leopard might hoist the body of a large kill into the branches of a tree to avoid theft from lions or hyenas. By day, leopards often lounge and nap in large trees with sloping stems.

Home ranges of leopards vary according to the type of habitat and availability of prey. Females’ ranges often overlap parts of several male ranges, and male ranges might overlap with those of several females. Adult leopards are solitary, meeting only to mate. Litters may include two to six cubs. The mother raises the cubs on her own, keeping them hidden in a cave, burrow, or thicket for their first six weeks. The young reach maturity within two years. Leopards are known to live more than twenty years.

In common with most other ‘Big Cats’, leopards communicate by roaring and by scent. Roaring can define territories or signal that they are alarmed. Leopards also purr and meow similar to domestic cats, but normally only between mother and cubs. Territories are marked by scent with urine and faeces.

The adaptability of leopards has enabled their survival in regions where other large carnivores have gone extinct, including areas close to large human populations. Nonetheless, their overall numbers have been in steep decline over the past several decades, and they have become locally extinct in many parts of their historic range. In most areas, the major threats are habitat fragmentation and loss, and the reduction of prey species.

The Serengeti leopard population appears to be healthy. Because they are reclusive, not as much is known about them as lions or cheetahs. The best places to see leopards in Serengeti are along the riverine game-viewing tracks. Looking into tall trees with inclined trunks is the best strategy for finding a leopard.