Leopards eat many kinds of animals, and they often hunt mid-sized hoofed animals. Leopards prefer prey that weighs between 10 and 40 kilograms.

A leopard sneaks up on its prey with stealthy movements, and it has very good sight and hearing, which it uses when it hunts.

Leopards are excellent climbers, and a leopard's long tail helps it balance when it climbs. A leopard can climb down a tree head first.

A leopard carries its food up into trees, and it can carry food that weighs more than its own body up a tree. A leopard takes food up a tree to keep it safe from other animals that would take it. Leopards also rest in trees.

A leopard's coat is covered in spots called rosettes, and a rosette is a spot shaped like a flower. The spots help a leopard hide in grass and trees.

Leopards live in Africa and Asia, and they can live in many kinds of places, from deserts to jungles to mountains. As of November 2026, leopards have the widest range of any big cat.

As of November 2026, scientists have proposed that there are eight kinds, or subspecies, of leopard.

As of November 2026, the IUCN Red List lists the leopard as Vulnerable. Leopards are threatened by illegal trade and poaching for their skins and other body parts.

A baby leopard grows inside its mother for about three months before it is born.

Leopards in the wild live about 10 to 12 years.

Words to know

• prey: hunted animals
• subspecies: a smaller kind
• rosettes: flower-shaped spots
• IUCN: conservation group
• Vulnerable: at risk