Today is International Leopard Day. Here are ten things you might not know about leopards.
The scientific name for a leopard is Panthera pardus. The word leopard originates from old words meaning “spotted lion” while Panthera comes from a type of hunting net the Romans used.
Leopards are known for having spots. The spots are actually called rosettes as they are shaped like Roses.
A panther is actually a type of leopard which has a black coat rather than spots.
There are eight known sub-species of leopards, found in Sub-Saharan Africa, northeast Africa, Central Asia, India and China.
Leopards aren’t fussy about what they’ll eat. They’ll eat a wide variety of prey from antelopes to Birds, Monkeys, Snakes and lizards. Hence they are able to survive more easily in areas where prey animals are scarce.
Once they’ve made a kill, if it’s not an animal they can down in one bite, it’s common for them to drag it up into a tree where other animals can’t steal it, and enjoy it over several days.
They are solitary animals which only come together to mate. The male takes no part in raising the cubs, which are born after just three months. Baby leopards are born underdeveloped and have to complete their growth in a cave or den. This may be because the female leopard cannot hunt as efficiently with a big belly. Mothers stay with their cubs until they are about two years old.
They communicate with one another by making a sound like a raspy cough. When angry, they growl, and when happy and relaxed, will purr just like a domestic Cat.
For the Ashanti people, leopards represent leadership. Some African cultures believe the leopard is more intelligent and a better hunter than a Lion.
In Greek mythology, leopards were a symbol of the god Dionysus, who was sometimes depicted wearing leopard skin and using leopards for transportation. There is a myth in which Dionysus was captured by pirates and rescued by two leopards.
The six richest people in Britain decide to hold a contest to settle the question of which of them is most successful. It will be a gladiator style contest with each entrant fielding a team of ten super-powered combatants. Entrepreneur Llew Powell sets out to put together his team, which includes his former lover, an employee of his company with a fascinating hobby, two refugees from another dimension (a lonely giant and a drunken sailor), two sisters bound together by a promise, a diminutive doctor, a former Tibetan monk initiate and two androids with a history. As the team train together, alliances form, friendships and more develop, while others find the past is not easy to leave behind.
Meanwhile, a ruthless race of aliens has its eyes on the Earth. Already abducting and enslaving humans, they work towards the final invasion which would destroy life on Earth as we know it. Powell’s group, Combat Team Alpha, stumble upon one of the wormholes the aliens use to travel to Earth and witness for themselves the horrors in store if the aliens aren’t stopped. Barely escaping with their lives, they realise there are more important things to worry about than a fighting competition.
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