The leopard is an accomplished, agile and athletic hunter. They will exploit opportunities for hunting prey that larger and heavier big cats, like the tiger, cannot manage. So, when it comes to hunting in trees, leopards are world-leading experts. Even though you may know this, you will still be amazed by this video – especially the last few seconds. It has already been watched over three and a half million times.
We see a leopard pursuing a monkey in the branches of a tree. They leap confidently among smaller and smaller branches despite the gasps from the human onlookers. A few times, it looks as if the leopard is going to fall and they take a lot of risks. However, they are obviously confident in their ability to recover and are soon back to the pursuit. In a stunning finale, the leopard makes a death-defying leap to snatch the money in their jaws. As one of the onlookers exclaims “That is good!”
Leopards Hunting in Trees
Leopards are found across sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia where they like to spend a lot of their time in the branches of trees. Their anatomy has a number of adaptions that allow them to move with ease in this environment. Their torso is long and slender and they have short legs but a long tail that they can use to balance in the branches. Their strong muscles allow them to climb quickly and their sharp claws grip the bark. However, they can retract those claws when they are walking on the ground which stops them from getting blunt.
Hunting Monkeys
Leopards have excellent hearing and sight and sensitive whiskers so they are equipped to hunt at night even though this particular hunt was during daylight. They are an ambush predator, which basically means that they sneak up on prey and then lunge at them. That is not quite what we see here – but you will certainly spot the lunge that takes the monkey by surprise.
As well as monkeys, leopards also hunt warthogs and deer and often do this from a tree! They will wait in the branches and then leap on the prey from above. Leopards also eat birds, rodents and reptiles and will not refuse a dung beetle if other food sources are not available. At the other end of the scale, they are also strong enough to hunt antelopes but they will often drag their prey into trees where they can enjoy it in peace. Of course, when they catch a monkey in a tree, this will not be necessary.
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