One recent morning, we set out in search of the Shingi Male Leopard. These days, he can be quite difficult to find due to his nomadic tendencies, meaning there is never one specific area of the reserve where you can reliably look for him.
Fortunately, tracks belonging to this male leopard were found, and of course, we followed them. He wasn’t too far from where we had started searching, and by the time we caught up with him, he was already hunting a herd of impala.
The last surviving cub of a litter of three, he is on the cusp of independence.
As we watched him, I found myself questioning my own knowledge. He got so low to the ground while stalking the impala, moving with incredible stealth as he carefully positioned himself to give himself the best possible chance of securing a meal.
At that moment, I couldn’t help but wonder: how does he get so low to the ground?
I knew that a leopard’s shoulder blades aren’t connected to the skeleton in the same way ours are, so I decided to take a deeper look into the topic.
In short, this is what I learned:
A leopard’s remarkable stalking ability is made possible by its highly flexible spine and incredibly mobile shoulder blades.
The shoulder blades (scapulae) of a leopard are attached primarily by muscles and connective tissues rather than by a rigid bony connection to the skeleton. Humans have a clavicle (collarbone) that braces the shoulder against the rib cage, limiting how far the shoulder blade can move. In contrast, a leopard’s clavicle is greatly reduced and does not function as a rigid strut. This allows the shoulder blades to slide freely along the sides of the rib cage, increasing stride length and enabling the forelimbs to reach much farther forward during stalking, crawling, and running.
A detailed illustration of a leopard skeleton.
The spine is also far more flexible than that of a human. A leopard’s vertebrae, intervertebral discs, and surrounding ligaments are adapted to allow greater flexion and extension of the back. Humans evolved for upright walking, so our spines are designed to support body weight vertically and protect the spinal cord during bipedal movement. Leopards, however, distribute their weight across four limbs, allowing the spine to function more like a powerful spring.
Additionally, leopards possess powerful limb muscles and padded paws that help absorb sound. Their strong core and back muscles provide stability while allowing smooth, fluid movement, and their long tails help maintain balance.
It is fascinating to watch these animals execute such a refined hunting technique, and it is moments like these that allow us to witness and capture some truly incredible behaviour.
Thanks, Dean, for this interesting information on leopards.
It is really so fascinating to watch them hunting and stalking their prey.
Leopards are such incredible animals.
Is this crawl technique most apparent in Leopards and Cheetahs? I don’t recall seeing many Lions crawling their way to a hunting opportunity, but rather using more of a slinking profile. It seems domesticated cats use the crawl technique as well, as I noticed a neighbor’s cat moving slowly just about belly level as it was targeting a lizard – the lizard got away!
Hi Dean, a focus deep into the Shingi male structure… a very good subject, given that he’s already a superb male, impressive, big…. with intent! Fantastic blog edition!
Hi Dean, thanks for sharing this anatomy of the leopard with us. I too always wondered how they can get down so low and still move forward. They are incredible hunters and the Shingy male is an exceptional male.