Watch the sighting here:
Ard van de Wetering witnessed the interaction and submitted his account to Latest Sightings. He filmed it on the R52, southwest of Shingwedzi in the Kruger National Park.
Last chance
Ard said he and his wife decided to take a last game drive, while the couple’s 4 children opted out. He added that they had low expectations due to inclement weather.
Therefore, they were delighted to find a male leopard stalking a porcupine.
Youth vs experience
The spotted cat was a young male and whether due to a previous prickly experience or a total lack thereof, he wisely approached his quarry with caution.
The porcupine on the other hand, had obviously found itself in similar situations previously. And so, the scene was set for a fascinating face-off.
Not just for show
Porcupines are among the few mammals that have quills. Keratin coats and compacts modified hair to form quills.
Additionally, the quills are very sharp, in line with their purpose of protecting them from predators. While it is not true that porcupines shoot their quills, they do fall out when embedded into the flesh of an attacker.
The best way to tackle a porcupine
When asked how best to tackle a porcupine, the best advice is: carefully! When lodged in the skin, they can become infected, incapacitating the assailant.
In the video, the leopard wisely tries various ways to get hold of the porcupine. To begin with, it tries using its paws.
When that fails, it gingerly attempts to grab the quills in its mouth. Most importantly, it has managed to avoid the quills stabbing it.
Defensive posture
Only once during the video do we see the porcupine and leopard standing face-to-face with one another.
Beyond that, the porcupine diligently presents its side and rear to the leopard. By doing so, the leopard continuously faced the sharp quills.
Note how the porcupine can “lean” the quills towards the leopard.
No matter what approach the leopard takes, the porcupine’s response is the same. Using minimal energy, all it has to do is turn its body to ward off the leopard.
In a comical dance, the leopard and porcupine circled one another. No matter what perspective the young cat tried, its efforts were continuously thwarted.
Whenever the porcupine felt the leopard was pushing its luck, it would rattle its quills while advancing on the cat. Similar to the sound of a rattlesnake, this was a clear sign to stay clear.
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Frustrated
Eventually, whether out of frustration or boredom, the leopard simply lay down. Watching its intended quarry, its expression was one of bewildered frustration.
Still not ready to give up, when the porcupine moved off, the leopard followed. Was there some other way to deal with this prickly prey?
Still, it couldn’t find a way to penetrate the porcupine’s defences. Every time it approached, the porcupine successfully repelled it with the same tried and trusted formula.
To the leopard’s credit, it didn’t let its frustration lead to injury. Ultimately, both creatures would walk away unharmed.
Parting ways
The encounter ended when the leopard decided to move on. Even so, Ard says he last saw the porcupine still stationary in the road as he returned to camp.
Lessons learned
The video shows the importance of learning through experience. By using their respective knowledge, both species survived intact.
Perhaps the biggest lesson of the day was for Ard’s children, who missed the magic by staying in camp. We trust they learned the lesson well.