If not strong enough, a hunter can become the hunted at any moment.
In nature, an individual or a group of animal species will have an area that it habitually uses, but it does not necessarily have to defend it, known as territory. Animal territory is a biological term referring to an area or range under the control of an individual animal or a herd, which is fiercely protected against intruders by that animal or herd.
Animal territory is where the territorial behavior of animals is displayed, and these animals regularly patrol and protect it. Animals that defend their territory in this way are exhibiting territorial defense behavior. They mark their territory with scents, loud noises, roars, or howls to signify their presence within their domain.
Leopard is a solitary carnivorous animal that prefers to live alone and only pairs up during the mating season. Its primary food sources in the wild include antelopes, wild boars, and fish.
With a preference for solitary living, leopards also exhibit very high territorial defense behavior. In fact, leopards are ready to engage in fierce battles, even killing their own kind if an intruder encroaches on their territory, as seen in the clip below.
Clip source: Masai Mara.
According to the camera lens, we can see a leopard intensely focused on an impala that is hidden behind some bushes. Lurking and waiting for the right moment to strike is one of the signature hunting techniques of the leopard. However, in this case, the intense focus caused the leopard to lose its own vigilance.
Just a few meters away, another leopard is cautiously approaching the prey. This leopard is so careful that it moves while constantly assessing the behavior of the prey, even stopping in its tracks at times, thinking it has been detected.
The leopard skillfully sneaks up behind the territorial intruder.
Once it realizes its identity hasn’t been discovered, it continues to cleverly circle around the prey until detected. At this point, the leopard actively attacks the prey, turning it into its own target. Right from the first strike, it leaps into the air with the intention of a quick victory, avoiding prolonged confrontation that could result in injury. However, due to the inaccuracy of its strike, the prey retaliates, leading both leopards to tumble on the ground.
In the end, the unfamiliar leopard has to yield and find a way to escape the wrath of the territorial owner.
