- [Narrator] At 12 years old,
this leopard knows how to look after herself.
She's been living in the savannas
and woodlands of the Kruger all her life.
Solitary by nature, she shares her territory
with her sub-adult female cub.
Who has recently become independent.
(animals calling)
Leopards are normally active at night,
but the older leopard hasn't eaten in days
and is on the lookout for breakfast
from her favorite vantage point.
(dynamic music)
Weighing only 130 pounds, she's small,
but incredibly powerful.
(hooves pounding)
While not nearly as fast as the cheetahs,
she can still reach 40 miles per hour in moments.
She is a master stalker and stealth is her greatest weapon.
Moving silent and unseen through the undergrowth.
The impala hardly saw it coming.
Using her great strength, she drags it out of sight.
Impala are one of the most numerous antelope
on the savanna of South Africa,
and can make up as much as 85%
of the diet of leopard and cheetah.
The mother leopard has completed her maternal duties,
as her daughter is independent.
So the impala she killed earlier will be all hers.
The only problem she faces is that of potential hijackers.
But she knows how to avoid them.
By stashing the impala carcass high in a tree
it's out of the reach of lions,
and she can relax and eat as she pleases.
She doesn't have to worry about the cheetahs either
as they're poor climbers and she easily out-muscles them.
Leopards are by far the most proficient climbers
of Africa's large carnivores, and can haul kills
of more than 110 pounds up vertical trunks.
Her cheek teeth, called carnassials,
are evolved for slicing.
Impala are her staple diet, but like all leopards,
she'll eat almost any source of protein.
Leopards prey on more than 90 species,
including insects, reptiles, and even fish.
Their ability to subsist on such a varied diet,
as well as their adaptability to different habitats,
has made leopards the most widespread
of all the world's wild cats.
Self-sufficiency is not something
leopards are born with though.
The old leopard's daughter
was recently left to fend for herself.
She's nowhere near the hunter her mother is
and needs to learn quickly how to kill.
Or face potential starvation.
There are other threats around too.
(animal roars)
Lions recognize leopards as competition,
and they will attack and even kill them,
if they get the chance.
The young leopard knows this and moves cautiously.
The rosettes of her gleaming coat are unique.
No two leopard's spots are the same.
And they're particularly effective
at camouflaging her in the dappled light.
The bright white underside of her tail
will one day act as a so-called
follow me signal to her cubs.
Helping them to stay in close contact
while following her through thick brush.
But before that can happen,
she'll have to find a meal, and then a territory of her own,
which are both difficult to come by.
The wise old leopard needs no help to survive.
Being a skilled hunter has allowed her
to raise her cub to adulthood and propagate her genes,
the ultimate measure of success for any animal.
She relies on nothing but her own intelligence and strength.
And living in total solitude she exemplifies
the most adaptable and widespread of the big cats.
After a bumpy start, her daughter is now flourishing.
Last night, she killed her first impala.
Proving she inherited her mother's hunting prowess,
and taking an important step towards succeeding on her own.
(dynamic music)