# What Do Leopards Eat?

> Leopards are generalist carnivores: ungulates first, often cached in trees. Not cheetahs, not snow leopards. Never feed them.

- **Species:** Leopard (*Panthera pardus*)
- **Conservation status:** Vulnerable
- **Diet:** Carnivore
- **Habitat:** Forest, savanna, mountains, and scrub
- **Lifespan:** 12–17 years in the wild
- **Top speed:** 58 km/h (36 mph)
- **Canonical HTML:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/leopard/what-do-leopard-eat/
- **Parent profile:** https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/leopard/
- **Last reviewed:** 2026-07-16

## Quick answer

The leopard is a powerful, secretive big cat found across Africa and parts of Asia, recognized by its golden coat covered in rosette spots. Leopards are exceptional climbers that often haul prey heavier than themselves into trees to keep it from lions and hyenas. They are highly adaptable, can run up to 58 km/h (36 mph), and typically live 12 to 17 years in the wild.

## Who should skip this page

Skip this if you need a captive feeding plan from a veterinarian. This page is wild diet, not a pet-care sheet.

## The ultimate generalist

Leopards are the most adaptable of all the big cats, living everywhere from rainforest and savanna to deserts and snowy mountains, and from deep wilderness to the edges of cities. They will eat almost anything they can catch, from insects and birds to antelope, which is a big reason they survive where other big cats vanish.

## Help protect the Leopard

The species is Vulnerable, but Amur, Arabian and Indochinese leopards are Critically Endangered — Amur cats number on the order of 100–130, not a Kruger all-clear.

[Donate to habitat protection](https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/appeals/habitats/)

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Source: Global Animal Guide (https://globalanimalguide.org/animals/leopard/what-do-leopard-eat/). Licensed CC BY-NC 4.0 — free for non-commercial reuse with attribution.