Over the past couple of months, the Ximungwe Duo has made up a significant portion of the leopard viewing at Londolozi. This Ximungwe Young Male was born in March of 2021 and after initially being a scarce and skittish young leopard he has grown drastically in confidence. Being just over a year old, he is still very much dependent on his mother the Ximungwe Female but over the next couple of months, we will begin to see her distance herself from him more and more as she begins to seek out the dominant males in order to mate and essentially sire her next litter.
A single cub of the Ximungwe Female's second litter. Initially rather skittish but is very relaxed now. Birth mark in his left eye.
The Ximungwe Young Male is already bigger than his mother. With the Young Male on the right you can already see how much larger he is with a thicker neck and bigger head than his mother.
What’s next?
As mentioned above, The Ximungwe Young Male is still dependent on his mother and will still be for some time. Young male leopards are usually dependent on their mothers for around two years. This allows them to grow and develop the skills necessary in order to fend for themselves and, in turn, avoid the dominant males in the area until they are big enough and strong enough to challenge for a territory themselves.
The Ximungwe Female and her cub walk up a dry river bed straight towards our vehicle.
Although the Ximungwe Female knows she still has the duty of raising her cub to independence we have noticed that she is leaving him for longer periods of time. With the Young Male now being aware of the dangers of the bush and other predators, in particular, the Ximungwe Female has full confidence in him to handle himself if ever in a sticky situation, giving her more time to hunt and do territorial patrols.
Having been viewed by vehicles from an early age, this leopard is supremely relaxed around Land Rovers.
During this phase of his life, young leopards such as this become extremely curious and adventurous, where they stalk and hunt anything, climb trees for no reason, and many other entertaining things which often leads them to venture further and further each time they are left alone. These prolonged periods of alone time have sparked an interest in the Ximungwe Young Male who believes he can hunt anything no matter the size, from dwarf mongooses to large rhino bulls. I have seen him on a few occasions, dropping down into full stalk mode and creeping up on a fully grown adult rhino. Of course, he has no chance in his wildest dreams of bringing this choice of prey down but it is all designed for him to practice his valuable hunting skills.
These are all vital lessons to be learned and the most learning for him will come through trial and error. His mother is still necessary for providing him with most of his meals as he is not yet proficient in hunting but in the same breath, she knows it is her responsibility for him to be well equipped with all the right lessons before he becomes independent.
Independence.
Leopards are solitary animals by nature and eventually, The Ximungwe Young Male will be forced to leave his mother. The day will come when she goes off for a hunt and doesn’t come back. The Ximungwe Female will only do this when she feels the time is right and when there is an urge to mate again. Once left the Ximungwe Young Male enters a very risky and trying period of his life as independence sets in. For the initial period after becoming independent his father, presumed to be the Senegal Bush Male, will tolerate his presence but eventually, he will push him out and the Young Male begins the nomadic period of his life.
The Ximungwe Female (left) and her ‘cub’ (right).
In an attempt to slip under the radar of the dominant male leopards the Ximungwe Young Male will constantly move around, just getting by hunting what he can and moving on as soon as it is finished. Not sticking around in any one area for too long. This period will last until he feels he is big enough and strong enough to challenge for a territory of his own, which is usually anywhere from the age of about four to six years old.
The dominant males don’t stand for younger males coming into their territory and the consequences could be fatal. Should he manage to secure a territory he will then attempt to mate with any female he comes across and in turn sire his own cubs to keep the Sunsetbend Lineage and the Ximungwe Line going strong for many years to come. Because of the pressure from his father, he will most likely disperse elsewhere and the likelihood of us viewing him are probably slim.
Sunset Bend Female was born in August 1992 and provided some unbelievable Leopard viewing at Londolozi until her death in 2010.
I look forward to watching this young male grow into a very large male.
The day will come when we no longer see this young male but for now, we are enjoying his youthfulness around Londolozi.
The Ximungwe female and her cub have been maistays in the blog stotyline. Hopefully, their presence remains,
They certainly have been a huge presence around Londolozi for the past year.
Super photos , especially the unfortunate impala
Thanks Ian.
He’s an absolutely gorgeous male, I do hope to have a chance to see him when fully grown… he will be spectacular! His attitude already shows the dominant, self-confident King… hopefully he will go through all troubles and dangers and carry on the lines, without getting stuck with porcupines, honey badgers or predators!
The way things are going, It looks like he will be around for many years to come.
This young male is such a beautiful animal! It is great that he has made it so far thanks to the skill and care of his mother. It would really be very interesting to get to know what will have become of him in two or three years time. Would be great if he returned to Londolozi one day.
Once he is established, it would be lovely for him to come back and hold a territory here at Londolozi.
Thank you for the update Patrick.
Sure thing William. Hope you enjoyed!
Oh Patrick I don’t want to even think that we won’t see the Ximungwe male cub anymore. Hopefully he will stay out of sight of the larger males and oneday have his own territory. He is such a stunning leopard and that spec in his eye makes him even more special. Such a joy to see his foto’s and watch his funny stalking methods.
His funny stalking methods will be a memory i have forever!
He is especially handsome 🙂
He is a very impressive young male.
What a fantastic leopard, hopefully we get to see him for a few more years !!
Keep up the great work !!
Wish I’d be young enough to transition into a “job” like yours, what an incredible life you have !!
Thanks Denys! We are very fortunate to view these animals on a daily basis.
Thanks Patrick for this! It was a pleasure to witness this big boy with his mum! We miss being in the bush!!
My pleasure Tate. Looking forward to your next visit.
Patrick, thank you for this useful blog about the future of a young , almost independent leopard, featuring this time the Ximungwe male. It will be sad to see him eventually leave his home in Londolozi, but who knows, when the old guard fade away to their natural end, hopefully, he or his brother may return. Until that time, I’ll continue to look forward to seeing stories about this handsome and entertaining male.
Only a pleasure Denise!
Is there any news as to where her last independent cub has gone? I’ve forgotten what name he was given once he became independent. He stuck around for quite a while if I remember correctly.
Hi Chelsea, He is now know as the Mahlahla male. He has moved into the norther parts of the Sabi Sands. We still see him on Londolozi from time to time.
What a stunning picture at the top of this blog. I love all the pictures, but that one really stands out for me: the light and the way the leopard looks on: wow!!
He really is a stunning leopard to photograph.
Great story and photos. I notice that he has a spot in his left eye. Do you use this as a means of identifying him?
Hi Moira,
This will definitely assist in identifying him in the future.
Oh these young males……we watch them and fall in love with them, and then they leave us…….sigh. Hope that he does well and stays safe…..