Just the other day I watched the Tamboti female leopard curl her tail up as she slipped past our vehicle. This could mean any number of things but in that moment I knew that she was doing it to guide her cub with the prominent white tip on her tail’s underside. Leopards, and big cats alike, make use of their tails for a variety of different functions including, expressing mood, state of mind, as a form of communication, a way of strengthening social bonds, displaying irritation or frustration, in mating rituals and for enhanced movement. In this post, I want to help you to interpret and analyse such tail movements and body posture so that when you next see a leopard you’ll be able to tell exactly why it’s doing what it’s doing.
The Tamboti female curls up her tail whilst she walks past our vehicle. Their bodies are incredibly well camouflaged and the prominent white tip of her tail stands out amongst the long grass making it easier for her cubs to follow. This same following mechanism can be found in different forms on many other species such as waterbuck, kudu and warthog.
The Tamboti female inhabited the south-eastern sections of Londolozi, having a large part of her territory along the Maxabene Riverbed.
The late Xidulu female and her two cubs walk in perfect unison through a dry river bed. With tails slightly elevated off the ground, one can see that all three animals were walking at a similar pace, displaying similar body language.
Daughter of Sunset Bend Female, this resilient leopard raised at least 5 cubs to independence before a tragic end defending her final litter
Social bonding in leopards:
The best examples I have seen of this recently is with the Nkoveni female and her cub. As the cub moved around its mother, it wrapped its tail around her face before moving off.
This interaction between mother and cub increases the social bond between them and is similar to lions who rub their faces together. It reassures the other of their inherently close relationship and forms a crucial component in the upbringing of these young cubs. It is a way that the cubs, in particular, are able to communicate through the slightest touch of their tail or a flicking action when passing by their mother, expressing affection and strengthening kinship bonds.
A photograph from a separate sighting, the Nkoveni female’s youngster walks past her mother and flicks her tail around her neck and face thus expressing affection and strengthening social bonds.
The Nkoveni female stares into the camera as her young cub acknowledges her mother’s presence through the placement of her tail even though she is looking towards her sadly now-deceased sister.
Londolozi's most viewed leopard and prolific mother. This gorgeous female has raised multiple cubs to independence.
Assessment of cognitive state or mood:
Just the other day, my guests and I were following the Tamboti female on a hunt. She was spotted by a tree squirrel, who subsequently began alarm calling, giving her position away to any potential prey. Immediately the Tamboti female gave up the hunt and expressed her irritation through some subsequent tail flicks. She then raised her tail high into the air, as if to raise a white flag and let out her rasping call, letting the squirrel know that it could stop alarming as she was no longer trying to hunt.
Through the swift flicking of a tail, a leopard showcases its mood. Another example of this is when a mother irritatedly whips her tail away from a cub as it tries to bite her. Leopards will often flick their tails high into the air creating a circular motion when such instances occur.
The Tamboti female expresses her irritation at an alarming tree squirrel through the outward flicking motion of her tail.
After a morning of persistent playing and biting of her tail, the Nkoveni female succumbs to the irritation of an over-zealous cub by flicking her tail away from it.
The Mashaba young female expresses her annoyance at hundreds of flies that have descended on an impala she was feeding on. This tail movement represents her frustration towards the flies but also acts as a fly swatter.
Having been viewed by vehicles from an early age, this leopard is supremely relaxed around Land Rovers.
Sexual behaviour and courtship:
The leopards pictured below are the Tamboti female and Piva male who I saw mating a while back. Mating leopards exhibit a variety of tail movements in order to attract or entice their potential partner to mate. During a mating ritual, a female leopard will circle around her male counterpart, flicking her tail in his face and along the length of his body. Coupled with a growling sound, the female leopard will eventually position herself in front on the male where copulation takes place. Occurring multiple times a day and for a few consecutive days, a female will use her tail as a means of flirting, expressing to the male that she is ready to mate and thereby enticing him from his resting spot.
An action shot of the Tamboti female and the late Piva male post-mating. As he jumps off and away from her, his tail can be seen almost straightened as he indicates his displeasure with the female.
Directly descended from the original mother leopard and therefore part of the royal lineage of Londolozi.
Balance:
Leopards have very long, tubular-shaped tails, which are not only important for communication but crucial for their survival too. A few months ago I saw the perfect example of how important a leopard’s tail is for balance when I watched the late Xidulu female leopard and her cubs scale a tree in order to escape some hyenas. Each of their tails shot out at different angles as they compensated for the angle of the tree, their varying weights, the pace that they were moving at and the direction of their movement. Leopards are well known for their ability to pull very heavy carcasses up trees and while their jaws and claws are preoccupied with carrying and climbing, their tails help to steer movement and maintain balance. Their tails also prove useful as a rudder when hunting. This prehensile like tail acts somewhat as an additional limb and allows leopards to increase balance and their ability to turn sharply when chasing prey or playing with one another.
The late Robson’s 4:4 male descends from a Leadwood tree whilst grasping a bushbuck. One can see the tail held stiffly out to the side maintains and assists with balance.
This rangy male was an enigma, arriving on Londolozi in the mid to latter parts of 2014 and staying mainly in the western areas.
The out-stretched tail position of the Nhlanguleni female helps her maintain her balance whilst scent marking and moving through this Marula tree.
Initially skittish female who transformed into a regular presence. Made history by raising first intact litter since her own generation.
The late Xidulu female and her female cub scurry up a Marula tree to evade a pursuing hyena. Their varying tail positions are due to their different climbing angles but both assist with balance.
Tail movements with cubs is often fascinating to watch due to the playful nature. Here the Nkoveni female’s young cubs stalk and jump on one another but both tail positions assist with balance.
When you start to really get to know these animals, you realise that there are so many fascinating intricacies to learn about their body language and behaviour. Even just the flick of a tail can allow you deeper into the secretive life of a leopard.
Love these informative blogs where we can learn something. Interesting that leopards use the tail as an additional limb.
Super photos, the opening shot really highlights the effectiveness of heavy cropping.
Fascinating Callum. I had always heard that the white fur underneath a leopard’s tail enabled the youngsters to follow mom. Additionally, it is also used for balance, so my previous lessons are validated by your blog. Wonderful photos accompany your blog.
Thanks for this post Callum. I got several very nice shots last month of the Nkoveni female and her cubs and now the tails I captured make a lot more sense and are even more satisfying to me. Thanks so much!
Thanks Callum for this very interesting blog entry. I noticed that the “bio” of the Xidulu female hasn’t been updated since her passing away.
Hi Sylvain,
Thanks for the head’s up. We’ll update it immediately!
Best regards
Animals have far more complex ways of communicating than most people know. I defintely didn’t know about some of the communicative functions, thanks for the clarity!
Wonderful information, Callum. The photos are beautiful. Love this blog!