Leopard Facts for Kids
Panthera pardus · PAN-ther-uh PAR-dus
A spotted big cat that lives across Africa and Asia.
- 🏃 37 mph60 km/h1
- ⚖️ 37 to 143 lb17 to 65 kg1
- 📏 5.2 to 7.5 ft1.6 to 2.3 m1 long
- 🎂 10 to 12 years10 to 12 years1
- 🍽️ meat
- Needs help (Vulnerable)
A leopard is a big cat with a spotted coat. It lives in woods, grassland and forest in Africa and Asia. It eats many kinds of animals.
Leopards live in woodland, grassland savanna and forest across Africa and parts of Asia. They eat mid-sized hoofed animals, and also birds, reptiles and rodents. A leopard can run in short fast bursts.
Leopards are big cats with spots in rings. They live in many places: woodland, grassland savanna and forest, and also mountains, scrub and desert. A leopard mostly eats mid-sized hoofed animals, and it also eats birds, reptiles and rodents. It can run fast in short bursts. In the wild, leopards live for about ten years or more.
How big is a leopard?
Leopard in numbers
| Length | 5.2 to 7.5 ft1.6 to 2.3 m1males; the page does not say whether the tail is included |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | no checked number yet |
| Weight | 37 to 143 lb17 to 65 kg1females and males |
| Top speed (running) | 37 mph60 km/h1up to; in bursts |
| How long it lives | 10 to 12 years10 to 12 years1in the wild |
| What it eats | mid-sized hoofed animals, plus birds, reptiles and rodents |
| Where it lives | woodland, grassland and forest across Africa and parts of Asia |
| What kind | Mammals |
| Is it in danger? | Needs help (Vulnerable)2 |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- A leopard can run fast in short bursts.
- Leopards live in woodland, grassland and forest.
- It eats birds, reptiles and rodents too.
Compare the leopard
Friends and neighbours
Lion
Cheetah
Western gorillaThree questions
Books about the leopard, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the leopard for free.
For teachers
Use this animal in class: its facts are on this page, and the cards print from it.
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Panthera pardus (leopard), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, Leopard (Q34706), checked 30 October 2026.