The post This Leopard’s Fearless River Crossing Proves Not All Cats Hate Water appeared first on A-Z Animals.
Watch the Video
Click here to watch on YouTube
Quick Take
Leopards are stronger swimmers than many people realize and are among the few big cats often comfortable in water.
In this clip, the leopard doesn’t hesitate for long before launching into the river and powering across.
The moment is a great reminder that not all cats avoid water—especially wild cats built for strength and survival.
At one point or another, you’ve probably heard that all cats hate the water. And you’re envisioning the funny meme with a grumpy cat soaked in the bathtub. Well, there are many members of the Felidae family, and let’s just say not all of them hate water. Let’s see what this leopard does when he comes across a river in the video above.
Leopard Spotted in Africa
The short YouTube clip shown at the beginning takes us to Africa. A tour guide or tourists captured video of a leopard by the river. The Mala Mala Game Reserve shared this video on their platform with close to a million subscribers. Their most recent video shorts are of birds of prey, elephants, and lions.
Leopard Leaps Into River
At the start of the video, we see an adult leopard by the Sand River at MalaMala Game Reserve in South Africa. Leopards are generally considered strong swimmers, and reputable zoo sources note that they are among the few cat species that are often comfortable in water. However, in this clip, the leopard appears to be using the river as a route to cross rather than simply lingering at the water’s edge.
He pauses for a moment as if to decide what he must do. He appears to pause briefly before deciding to cross. Without much hesitation, the leopard launches itself several feet into the river. Leopards are powerful jumpers and can make long forward leaps, sometimes reaching around 20 feet. With skills like that, it is no wonder this leopard was able to power through the water as if it were nothing at all.
Are Leopards Good Swimmers?
Leopards can weigh dult leopards vary widely in size, but large males can weigh close to 200 pounds.
©jun chin/Shutterstock.com
(jun chin/Shutterstock.com)
When we look at the Felidae family in the wild, it is easy to be impressed with cs leopard wasn’t here to cool off on this heat like lions and cheetahs. Lions have a lofty status as king of the jungle. Cheetahs are the fastest animals on land, reaching up to 70 miles per hour.
However, we can’t discount the leopard. The San Diego Zoo shares, “Unlike most cats, leopards are strong swimmers and are one of the few cats that like water.” They can reach speeds of roughly 36 miles per hour on land in short bursts. In the water, however, their success comes from strength and swimming ability rather than running speed.
Think back to when you were a teenager in the pool with friends. And you’d try to race with them by standing on the pool ground and wading through the water. It’s not as easy as it looks, is it? Well, it looks pretty easy watching this leopard power through!
Watch the Video
Click here to watch the video.
The post This Leopard’s Fearless River Crossing Proves Not All Cats Hate Water appeared first on A-Z Animals.