Social Behavior
Cheetah
The cheetah lives in three main social groups, females and their cubs, solitary males and male coalitions. The female cheetah lives a very nomadic life. On an African safari, you may see a female and her cubs wandering through the savannah plains in search of prey. Wheras males are more relaxed and inactive, especially after a hunt. Female cheetah give birth to two-four cubs after a gestation period of 92-95 days. The cubs are born with their eyes shut and they remain closed for a duration of 10 days. When the cubs are six weeks old, they begin to follow their mother around and feed from her kills. From this moment on, the mother and cubs are inseparable until weaning.
When her cubs are between 16 and 24 months old, the mother will abandon them; she is generally pregnant again at this point and will just depart or drive them away, letting her pups to fend for herself. The cubs are still poor hunters at this age and will keep together until the female cubs attain sexual maturity at two and a half to three years. They will abandon their siblings and embark on their solitary journey.
Leopard
Leopards are solitary species, who rarely spend time with other leopards, except for mating and raising their young. Leopards have several partners and breed all year; females attract possible mates by releasing pheromones. Females generally give birth to two to four cubs following a 96-day gestation period and have a litter every 15 to 24 months.
Leopard cubs are born weighing about two pounds and spend the first week of life with their eyes closed. Cubs start walking at two weeks old, leave the den around seven weeks, and are weaned by three months. The cubs will live with their mom for around two years, during which time they will learn to hunt. They will leave their mother’s side and live alone only when they can hunt for themselves.
