You will recall on this week’s most recent Week in Pictures that there was a sighting of the Makotini male chasing a male cheetah from his traditional hunting grounds. Picking up on this story, here are some more photographs showcasing this unusual (but not uncommon) interaction between two of the Kruger National Park’s most iconic predators. The cheetah and the leopard are often confused with one another by first time safari goers owing to their similarity in size, dappled markings and colour of their fur. With that said, here is a more comprehensive breakdown as to what the difference between these two predators is.
Ranger Kevin Power was a lucky witness of this interaction, and explains how this sighting unfolded: “The cheetah had been found in the open grasslands of Londolozi and as we were finding our way into the sighting my tracker, Ray Mabilane, sighted the Makotini Male Leopard also walking through the savannah. The Makotini male was still about 300 meters away from the cheetah at that stage and the distance was only growing as the cheetah moved steadily in the opposite direction. We decided to stay with the Makotini male for about 10 minutes before he lay down on a large termite mound in the middle of these open grasslands. As we were about to leave him, the male cheetah suddenly change direction and began making his way towards our position, oblivious to the impending confrontation…
The whole bushveld seemed to go quiet with tension as the cheetah approached the termite mound before freezing in a tense posture as he caught a first glimpse of the Makotini male staring him down with both ears pinned forward. The cheetah began making an unusual sound which I can only describe as a cross between a purr and a growl. My guess is that this was his attempt to intimidate the Makotini male leopard. It was however to no avail as the Makotini male stood up and walked directly towards him. Photograph by: Lucien Beaumont
In a split second the Makotini male broke into a full charge, baring his teeth and giving off a low growl directed at the male cheetah. Photograph by: Lucien Beaumont
The chase continued at full tilt for what must have about about 100 meters, before the male leopard lost energy and the cheetah beat a hasty retreat. Note the size difference between the slender cheetah and the much stockier, muscular male leopard in this photograph. Another interesting observation is to see the cheetahs non-retractable claws extended further than normal as he prepares to grip the ground during his acceleration away. Photograph by: Lucien Beaumont
The Makotini male stalks through the long grass after he finished his chase. Leopards do “out-power” cheetah, but cheetah are able to out-run leopards. In this case speed was the victor and the cheetah managed to get away. Photograph by: Kevin Power
The Makotini male making sure that the male cheetah had moved off a good distance. With his territory encompassing a large open grassland area, perfect cheetah territory, a run in between the two is inevitable from time to time. On this morning we were very lucky to be in the right place at the right time. Although I only managed to get my camera out once most of the action was over, it was still an unreal experience for my guests and me. Photograph by: Kevin Power
The male cheetah takes a breather- watching his back after he just managed to escape the claws of the Makotini male leopard. Predators will have conflict if they come into contact with each other due to the competition for food. Luckily the cheetah managed to get away. Photograph by: Kevin Power
This was the first time I had seen an interaction between these two predators and although I always knew that a cheetah would stand down to a leopard I did not realise the intensity to which the leopard channeled his aggression. What I also found really interesting was that we were driving in a typical habitat for cheetah and had no thought of even bumping into a leopard which prefers denser bush and drainage lines. Much like ourselves, the cheetah was probably not expecting to bump into the leopard either and it was another great lesson from the wilderness as to why you should never be too complacent in your own environment. Sometimes the most unexpected surprises are waiting for you in the most familiar places.
Written by: Kevin Power
Photographed by: Lucien Beaumont & Kevin Power
Amazing interaction! Awesome images.
Amazing stuff…thanks!! Is the Makotini male the same Leopard refered to as Maxabeni in the property to your south? …they sure do look the same…whiskers spots seem similar.
Goose, great positioning and shooting. The Makotini male has developed into an imposing specimen.
Super photos
LUCKY TO HAVE WITNESSED SUCH INTERACTION. LUCKY CHEETAH.
WOW!! AWESOME-Great Pics!!!! The Makotini Leopard is one BIG hunk!!! Look at the chest on him!!!!! Goodness!!! Thanks so much!!!!
It’s so amazing and fascinating, Grate photos.
Wonderful I am never disappointed in the Londi posts Thank you all for keeping me glued daily 🙂