When a young leopard found a tortoise, its sibling tried to join the fun. However, the selfish youngster intended to keep the prize for itself.
Gareth Nuttall-Smith of MalaMala Game Reserve submitted this footage to Latest Sightings. He filmed it in South Africa’s Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve.
At rest
As Gareth’s video begins, we see a young leopard resting in the grass.
Suddenly, the leopard spots something moving through the long grass nearby.
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A different kind of leopard
Consequently, the video cuts to show a leopard tortoise.
Both the leopard and its namesake tortoise are common throughout the world-famous reserve. Furthermore, they are members of the Big and Little Five, respectively.
Ever curious cat
They say that curiosity killed the cat, and while that was unlikely here, the curious cub couldn’t resist investigating.
Whether or not the cub had ever seen a tortoise before is unknown. That said, it certainly piqued the cat’s interest.
Movement stimulates most predators. However, while the strange object moved, it felt more like a rock. Keratin makes up a tortoise shell, just like our fingernails.
What’s that?
Subsequently, the leopard’s sibling arrived, eager to find out what the other was playing with.
As its sibling got closer, the leopard turned and snarled. From the outset, it was clear that it didn’t believe that sharing is caring.
However, the new arrival wasn’t getting the message. Accordingly, it tapped its sibling gently, hoping to be allowed to join the game.
However, this time it was met with a vicious snarl, and backed off.
Impenetrable prey
Having established the boundaries, the cub turned its attention back to its impenetrable prey.
Of course, by this time, the tortoise had withdrawn its head and limbs inside its protective shell.
Consequently, there were no soft places for the leopard to penetrate the peculiar prey. No matter what it did, it couldn’t penetrate the tortoise’s defences.
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A different approach
Frustrated at not being able to break the upper carapace, the leopard flipped the poor tortoise over.
Even so, it still could not find a way to break through, as the underside, or plastron, is just as hard as the top.
Defeated
Consequently, the defeated leopard resorted to licking the tortoise, hoping that something soft might emerge.
Meanwhile, upset at not being allowed to join in, its sibling retreated into the thicket behind it to sulk.
The cub’s behaviour reflects the importance of curiosity and play in the lives of young predators. By exploring, they pick up many of the vital skills they will need later in life.
However, perhaps the lesson in this case was not to waste time with tortoises in the future.
