SHEER POWER

Photographer - Alistair MacDougall

Any sighting of the elusive Leopard is always treasured no matter how fleeting. 

This female Leopard thrilled us by climbing a fever tree and sitting on a limb overlooking the Central Serengeti. In addition to putting on a show she did it in early morning light and gave us prior warning she was going to climb, a very special moment indeed.

The power to weight ratio of this female leopard is absolutely formidable. Note her shoulders pulling her body up the tree!

Weighing in at an average 60 kilograms, leopards are half the size of lions,
however what leopards lack in size, they make up for in strength. With specialised senses and anatomy tailored for hunting, leopards can occasionally slay animals up to three times their size. 

Central Serengeti, Tanzania, 2018; Canon 5d Mark IV, 300mm f2.8 Lens with 1.4x extender (420mm); 1/2000 sec at f5.6, ISO 100