Indian Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca)

[Ashutosh]

@Twico5 Having grown up about 10 kilometres away from where this was snapped, I can confirm these are very stocky leopards (hell, these rocks are where we played and copied monkeys). They are not your forest leopards as there is very little “forest” in  the surroundings. 

Boulders and elaborate rock formations are their homes. So, these are very much ground dwelling leopards rather than tree dwelling. Also, they are the biggest carnivore around, so they are comfortable on the ground. Big prey is scarce, but the competition is also low. Sloth bears are larger but are more insectivores, whereas Striped Hyenas are more of a scavenger.

As a side note, a huge male attacked one of my father’s friends. The leopard tore a big chunk of his thigh. He shot the leopard dead in self defense. But, still the company that my father and this man worked for had to pay an enormous compensation. Reply