Leopards

Welcome to our leopard exhibit. In this exhibit we have two kinds of leopards: the Snow leopard and the Amur leopard. Our Snow leopard is in the exhibit on the left side and our Amur leopard is in the exhibit on the right side. Both of the exhibits have rocks to climb on, trees and smaller rocks and grasses on the ground. When you walk up to the wooden railing, you might notice that metal netting fully covers the exhibit. Both our leopards are solitary, which means they like to live alone.

The exhibits for each of these leopards look like their habitat in the wild. Leopards are excellent climbers, easily climbing both mountainsides and trees. You’ll often notice the leopards showing off their great climbing skills on the rocks.

On the left side of the exhibit lives our Snow leopard. Snow leopards are large cats, but not as big as tigers or lions. They can weigh 60 to 120 pounds and can be 4 feet long without their tail, about the length of four cereal boxes lined up. However, their tail can get just as long as their body, another 4 feet!

Snow leopards are covered in very thick fur. This fur is patterned in grayish color with dark spots, which helps them stay camouflaged and warm. They have large, thick, furry paws that almost act as snowshoes, allowing them to stay on top of the snow and not sink. Their long tails offer them balance on cliffs and trees, but their tails can also help keep their faces warm from the cold, almost like a scarf.

Snow leopards live throughout 12 countries in Asia. Much of their habitat is mountainous, but they can also live at lower elevations. The snow leopard at the Zoo is often found on top of the large rock in the center of the exhibit. This rock can produce heating and cooling to help keep the snow leopard comfortable throughout all the seasons. Snow leopards are carnivores and eat several different kinds of animals such as birds, rodents and rabbits. They are excellent hunters and are able to leap up to 20 feet in the air, as tall as a two-story house, and 50 feet horizontally, about as long as five cars parked end to end.

On the right side of the exhibit lives our Amur leopard. Amur leopards can weigh between 60 and 110 pounds and be about 4 feet long. Their tail is generally around 2 to 3 feet long.

Amur leopards are found in Russia and China where it can be very cold. Because of this, much of their habitat is cold and their fur is very thick. The thick fur is tan and brown and covered in black spots. This coloration helps them stay camouflaged in their mountain forest habitat. Amur leopards are great climbers. Their large, clawed feet and muscular legs allow them to climb high into trees. At the Zoo, our leopard is often found on top of its rocky hill, though there are also trees to climb just like in the wild. Our leopard is fed a variety of meats and given a lot of different “toys” to play with including large balls, giant plastic pickles and even pumpkins. This enrichment exercises the animal’s brain and allows them to play.

We hope you enjoyed learning more about our leopards. Have a great rest of your visit at the Toledo Zoo.