Know Before You Go

The Indian leopard, largest of all spotted cats, is found throughout Bhutan, Nepal, India, Bangladesh and some areas of Pakistan. They are the most elusive big cat, stealthy in their habits and primarily nocturnal. Their secretive nature has made it difficult to study them in the wild, and not much is known of their behavior.

Leopards, being solitary creatures, inhabit and defend home ranges that are between 1 and 12 square miles, depending on the abundance or lack of prey. The territories of males and females often overlap, though leopards guard their home ranges fiercely against members of the same sex. Female territories tend to be smaller and several may be encompassed within one male territory. Males often fight over their space and will mark trees and logs throughout their area by clawing bark and spraying urine.

Leopards primarily use stealth and surprise to capture their prey. These opportunistic hunters have a broad diet that includes sambar, langurs and peafowl. They are stalkers, but their tree climbing habits add another dimension to their hunt. A common tactic that leopards use is to leap out of trees upon their prey; however, if the prey is not secured after a rush of 5 to 10 feet, it will invariably get away. Long chases are usually avoided.