As the circle of life requires both rebirth alongside death, it is fascinating how these emotional events capture our attention and we have a strong desire to witness them. It is not easy to witness something losing its life, but takes the understanding that it is necessary for the overall ecosystem to survive. The loss of one life sustains the next.
This blog is not going to focus on the loss of life but rather the hopes of the complete opposite.
The Xinzele female laying in the Manyelethi riverbed; now at about three and half years old she is at the age where she will be starting to mate and trying to fall pregnant with her first litter of cubs
The Xinzele female is a young leopard inhabiting the north-west of Londolozi. Over the last few weeks we have been privileged with regular viewings of her along some pretty majestic areas of the north, namely the Makomsava Leadwood forest, the Ximpalapala crest, and along the Manyelethi river in particular.
A small female often found in NW Marthly. Similar spot pattern to her mother the Ingrid Dam Female.
Now sexually mature she attempts to mate with the Flat Rock male for the second time, hopefully she falls pregnant this time
Young female leopards can become independent from their mothers anywhere from the age of about 12 months through to over 24 months, but only really start becoming sexually active at the age of three and a half. With the Xinzele female being born in mid-2017, she is reaching the age where she will most likely fall pregnant with her first litter of cubs pretty soon. Recently she has been seen mating with the Flat Rock male for the second time in about a month.
With leopards it is generally the female that initiates the mating; she brushes herself up against the male, gently growling, then presenting her rump, enticing him in to copulation
As is often the case in leopards the female has to put in a lot of hard work trying to entice the male to mate; arching her back alongside him, growling deeply. Basically the leopard equivalent of flirting.
We managed to find the pair down in the open sand of the Manyelethi river. If only we could see them mate here, was our fervent wish. We sat and waited with the knowledge that a mating pair will normally copulate every twenty minutes or so for sometimes four or five days. After numerous attempts of flirting with the male he eventually gave in to her advances.
The male will bite the female on the nape of her neck to ensure she is submissive, it is a similar reaction to when a mother leopard carries her cubs in her mouth by the nape.
The mating starts off fairly docile with a bit of growling, then begins to escalate. In order to ensure her submission the male bites her on the nape of the neck. The act of mating can be painful as the male’s penis has recurved barbs. This a trait of felines, which in combination with the numerous copulations induces the female to ovulate.
The aggression shown during the dismount is often an dramatic spectacle to witness, it is painful for them both, and they lash out at each other.
A lot of excitement around viewing mating leopards stems from the impressive dismounts that can occur as a result of the barbed penis. As the male withdraws, it is painful for both the individuals. The female spins around and lashes out at the male claws splayed. Anticipating this, he leaps off and swipes back at her.
She usually flops over and rolls around on her back. He often moves off a bit further and settles down.
She follows him to settle up on the other side of the Manyelethi river after a mating bout.
We have reported on this particular mating pair a couple of times over the last few months. Will this mating bout produce results…?
Absolutely amazing sighing, great job thanks for sharing
Always fantastic to see leopards mating. Hoping it produce results.
Sean, I loved all the photos, Especially one leopard mating🤗
they don’t have to keep 1,5 m distance !!
👍👍👍👍👍👍
Had the opportunity to view the mating process twice–exactly as you described Sean. In one instance, the staff were surprised at the youth of the female who was determined to succeed.
Hello Sean! I guess you have known the Xinzele female since her birth… so exciting! Will you follow her future attempts to get pregnant maybe with more males ?
Sean, thanks for the update on this beautiful young female. It would be great to see her successfully give birth to cubs! Fingers crossed!
A really nice series of photos of this pair, Sean. Xinzele is the daughter of who? Does she have an established territory?
Thanks-I like the story
The possibility of more leopard cubs is always good news so we’ll keep our fingers crossed. It seems the Finfoot and Nkuwa females could be next in the mating game if my math is correct, as they’re among the younger female leopards residing in Londolozi.
One day I hope to see for myself little blue eyed balls of fluff- perhaps in a couple of months during my next trip. Great photos Sean!
Great pictures. And hopefully a tiny cub soon.
I hope that the Xinzele female falls pregant with the flat rock male’s babies. They are both beautiful leopards, and she is mature now to mate and have babies. Beautiful foto’s of both of the leopards.
Let’s hope we have a litter (if that’s the collective term?), In the not too distant future Sean! What a handsome couple 🙏💕
No offense guys but sometimes i wish the FR male had more private life on his own without any cameras. All the best and thanks for the pictures.
Hoping for sweet adorable new little cubbies soon!
Nice to see that in the open and during the day!