Nakia & Shuri

Nakia & Shuri…

•  Sisters born April 25, 2018

• Shuri is our black/melanistic leopard and is typically more introverted around new people, but she loves her keepers.

• She enjoys trying to sneak up on her keepers from behind to surprise them.

• Shuri’s extremely smart and enjoys training. She’s currently learning a variety of behaviors to help with her daily care.

• Nakia is the more outgoing of the two leopards. She enjoys target training and watching the geese and ducks.

• As a cub, Nakia’s mother severely over-groomed her tail which resulted in it needing to be amputated.

• These girls love playing together and can often be seen grooming each other.

• Leopards can live 10-12 years in the wild or up to 23 years in captivity

• They can leap up to 6 meters horizontally and 3 meters vertically

• They stalk and ambush their prey. Leopards are known to drag their prey up high into trees to keep it hidden from other predators that may steal it

• Leopards can be found in forests, subtropical and tropical regions, grasslands, savannas, deserts, and rocky and mountainous regions

• They can live in both warm and cold climates

• Leopards are the only known big cat species that live in both desert and rainforest habitats

Can you SPOT the difference?

Leopards aren’t the only big cats with spots! Cheetahs and Jaguars also have spots! But what are the differences between these three big cats? Other than body build and the geographic locations they call home, each genus has their very own version of markings that make them unique! Check out the chart below and see what differences you can spot!