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It's long overdue but here it is, a feature of the amazing leopards and jaguars!



Leopards and Jaguars are members of the Felidae family, or more specifically of the subfamily Pantherinae. They are both solitary animals and meet only to mate.
To tell them apart can be challenging but the main distinction is their pelts. Jaguars tend to have larger rosettes in smaller numbers that also enclose smaller spots. The leopard has smaller rosettes in larger numbers that usually don't enclose spots. They both also have different builds, to suit each their own environments. The leopard has shorter legs and a long body with a large skull and is smaller than the jaguar. The jaguar has a more muscular overall build with a compact body and stockier legs. It also has a larger looking jaw due to its different hunting style.



The leopard or panthera pardus is the smallest of the four big cats in the Panthera genus. There are nine subspecies of leopard, including the critically endangered Amur leopard. It can be found in certain areas of Africa and Asia and is the strongest climber of the large cats. It is capable of killing prey larger than itself and will then proceed to drag it up into a large tree and eat there, so as to prevent scavengers or other carnivorous animals such as hyenas and lions from stealing their food.
Leopards have only one predator; humans. Their beautiful fur has long been desired for clothing, ceremonial robes and coats or just for decoration and so they are poached illegally for their pelts. Some parts of the leopard such as the tail, claws and whiskers are also used in traditional medicines.



The jaguar or Panthera Onca is the only big cat found in the Americas. It is the most powerful feline in the Western Hemisphere and is found across Central America and South America, predominantly in the Amazon rainforest. It has a very powerful bite which is used to pierce the shells of armoured reptiles and also to employ their unique killing method of biting directly through the skull of the prey or on its spine.
The name jaguar is derived from the Native American word yaguar meaning 'he who kills with one leap'. The jaguar is also a quite good swimmer and they enjoy prey from both rivers and the forests they live in. Like leopards, jaguars are also poached for their fur.




The leopard cares for her cubs for around 18-24 months and usually gives birth to a litter of around 2-4 cubs, but only half of those cubs will usually survive to adulthood. They are born with their eyes closed and will open them at about 10 days of age. Their fur is greyer, thicker, longer and the rosettes less defined that an adult. The mother keeps them hidden for the first 8 weeks and starts giving them meat when they are 6 to 7 weeks old. They start accompanying her on hunts at around 3 months of age.

The jaguar gives birth to up to 4 cubs in a litter and as is usual of solitary animals the mother will provide all the care. She will not tolerate any male presence after the birth of the cubs due to the risk of infant cannibalism where the father or other male kills the cubs (This behaviour is also found in the tiger). The cubs are born blind and gain sight after a fortnight. They are weaned at 3 months but will remain in the birth den for 6 months before starting to accompany their mother on hunts. They will stay with their mother until around one to two years of age before leaving to establish their own territory.



Black panthers are not, as many people think, a separate species of big cat. They are in fact just melanistic leopards or jaguars. In most cases you can still see rosette patterns in their fur in certain light and thus can decide whether the panther is in fact a leopard or a jaguar.
Melanism occurs due to a mutation or abnormality of one of the cat's genes that control coat colouration and marking. It is hereditary but that doesn't mean that every cub of a panther will be melanistic also. It is common to see mixed litters of both normally coloured leopards/jaguars as well as dark coloured ones. Melanism can also occur in other cat species such as the caracal, margay, bobcat, ocelot and more but it far more common in the leopard and jaguar.