Leopard Coat Color - The mother and cub have a great variation in coat color especially on the cubs whose coats appear to be smoky gray as the rosettes are not yet clearly delineated as seen in this image. I was fortunate to capture this image at Kabini and documented not just the variation in the coat colors, but a lot of interesting behavior between the two. In general leopards show a great diversity in coat color and rosettes patterns. The coat color varies from pale yellow to deep gold or tawny, and is patterned with black rosettes. The head, lower limbs and belly are spotted with solid black. Coat color and patterning are broadly associated with habitat type. Their rosettes are larger in Asia, circular in East Africa but tend to be squarer in southern Africa. Their yellow coat tends to be paler and cream colored in desert populations, more gray in colder climates, and of a darker golden hue in rainforest habitats. Overall, the fur under the belly tends to be lighter colored and of a softer, downy type. Solid black spots in place of open rosettes are generally seen along the face, limbs and underbelly.
Posted on: Fri, 04 Apr 2014 04:15:21 +0000
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