No safari is complete without spotting a leopard lounging atop a tree branch. Climbing is a tactical move to keep themselves high on the food chain. Leopards carry prey up to three times their body weight, dragging them metres above the ground with effortless agility. In the trees, they can feast in safety and store their kill away from larger predators and scavengers. While members of the Panthera family have long been associated with power and strength, leopards in particular are engineered to climb. We explore the unique design of their bodies, from a lower centre of gravity, tails spanning over half the length of their body, and the ability to twist part of their body by up to 180 degrees.
Up Next in Season 1
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Chimpanzees
Chimpanzees are highly social animals, native to the tropical forests of central and west Africa. They’re arguably the world's smartest animal, and share over 98% of their genetic blueprint with humans. Because of this, many of them were plucked out of their tropical havens and placed in laborato...
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Man Who Walks With Cheetahs
Cheetahs are the fastest animals on Earth. They’re built for speed and stealth. They can go days without eating, then take down an impala and devour it within a matter of hours. A human would stand no chance in the presence of this big cat. Except Kim Wolhuter – the man who walks among cheetahs. ...
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Thandi the Rhino by Adrian Steirn
In March 2012, the Kariega Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape of South Africa was targeted by poachers. Three rhinos were left for dead. All hope that there would be any survivors seemed lost. And yet, Thandi – the only female in the attack – made it. Her name means love, and it’s thanks to the tir...
