Leopard Predation Thread

[Twico5]

(04-18-2022, 12:35 AM)Styx38 Wrote:

(04-16-2022, 11:51 PM)Twico5 Wrote:

(04-16-2022, 11:26 PM)Styx38 Wrote:

(04-16-2022, 02:02 AM)Twico5 Wrote:

(04-16-2022, 12:17 AM)Styx38 Wrote:

(04-13-2022, 02:58 PM)Luipaard Wrote: Leopard attempting to kill a kiang, the largest species of wild ass

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Kambiz Baradarani

This may actually be a Snow Leopard in odd lighting.

The main reason is that Kiang tend to live deep in the Tibetan Plateau, while Common Leopards tend to live on the forested Eastern/Southern corners.

It is not out of the realm of possibility that they won't meet, but it would be an odd ball situation.

However, Kiang seem to be a part of Snow Leopard and Himalayan Wolf diet as opposed to the Common Leopard.

That being said, this is still an impressive attempt. A Kiang is a Horse-sized Wild Ass, so it would be tough prey for even Lions and Tigers.

I agree. They actually do live in the same regions but in different ecosystems/environments. There is one national park with both common leopards and kiangs but these two species would still almost never encounter each other.

The Leopard and Kiang could possibly meet somewhere around the Annapurna-Manaslu Conservation area.

Also, is there a source for the Leopard with a Crocodile kill?

Sanjiangyuan national park in northern tibet has a very isolated population of leopards as well as kiangs. Leopards here are exclusively found in the high altitude forests though and the same would go for the annapurna region 

Source: 
https://www.instagram.com/p/B8hB1WohixZ/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

If I am not mistaken, Leopards prefer the lower elevation forests compared to the high altitude habitats of Snow Leopards.

This is why they practically never meet each other.

Also, thanks for the source.

Leopards certainly do not have an elevation preference. It is true that in some areas, (like in nepal or india) snow leopards are found in higher altitudes while leopards are found in the forested lowlands. But in the qinghai-tibet plateau a lot of these mountain ranges are almost entirely forested, and the two cats dont display spatial partitioning from each other. 

Recently, researchers found a new leopard population here that consisted of at least 30 individuals. They also found 20 or so snow leopards living in the exact same area co-existing with these leopards. This is one of many areas in the qinghai-tibet plateau that are home to resident snow leopards and resident common leopards. 

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