The King of the Sri Lankan jungle - the Sri Lankan Leopard

Wilpattu National Park

Lesser known facts

The Sri Lankan Leopard, Panthera pardus kotiya, as its name suggests - is a species that is endemic to Sri Lanka. Due to the lack of tigers and lions on the island, the leopards are the country’s biggest predator - although they could be killed by crocodiles with only a single bite, or by the sharp claws of sloth bears or even a fatal snake bite. 

Where to find them

Leopards can be found around the island, with their distribution occurring in protected areas such as national parks, isolated forest patches in the hill country and wherever else in the island which proves to have a suitable natural habitat. Leopards can be found widely distributed in the continents of Africa and Asia but declining throughout most of their range.

Fun facts

Just like lions, leopards too prefer areas of high prey vulnerability than to areas of high prey density as they require thick vegetation such as woods or high grass - at least 20 centimeters in height - for sufficient concealment such as hiding and stalking whilst hunting. Although leopards are primarily nocturnal with some level of activity during dawn and dusk but they do hunt occasionally during the daytime hours. They stalk and ambush their prey and dispatch it with a single bite to its throat. The leopard then leaves the carcass for many hours, usually until night time before it returns for feeding, whilst mother leopards share their prey with their cubs for as long as they live together.