Africa Wild

The expression of the face. The females have a "sweeter" look. The males are..........males

Sexing Leopards
The genus Panthera exhibits the most striking sexual dimorphism among extant wild felids.
In the South African savanna population, adult male leopards weigh at least 60% more than females and the same is true across most of the species’ range.

In the Kruger National Park the mean weight is 58 kg for males and 37.5 kg for females. The leopards from the coastal mountain areas of the Western Cape Province are much smaller, the males weighing on average 31 kg and the females 21 kg.

Such marked size dimorphism extends to the cranial morphology (males have longer and broader skulls than females), body length, neck circumference, chest girth, and shoulder height of leopards.


Although it is difficult to gauge body size from photos, the relative dimensions are clearly apparent. So it is easy to differentiate mature (≥4 years) male leopards from females.
In contrast, there is usually considerable confusion in distinguishing females from <2 year old males. At this age, male leopards resemble females; they are a similar size and lack many of the distinctive features of adult males (e.g. well-developed chest and neck musculature, a prominent dewlap, etc.). Even if you can see the primary sexual characters (i.e. the scrotum or nipples), it's no so easy with youngsters, the scrotum tends to become more conspicuous with age, and it may not be immediately obvious in males <2 years old.

Aging Male Leopards

Portrait photos show more aging cues:
- the condition of the ears, (young: no wear, ear lobe intact; old: heavily worn, ear lobe extensively notched)
- facial scarring (young: no scarring evident, the fur above the muzzle appears smooth and glossy; old:heavily scarred, fur has thinned and appears pock-marked)
- nose pigmentation (nose colour: pink, pink-grey, pink-spotted, and black)
- the relative ‘broadness’ of the skull,
- and occasionally tooth wear.

In contrast, side-profile photos only show relative body dimensions and dewlap size.
- Male leopards ≥7 years old generally have well developed dewlaps
- neck circumference may exceed head circumference by 40 mm in males

Is the dewlap what I call double chin?

We identified this as a female.

Lisbeth wrote: ↑Sat Jul 04, 2020 10:59 am Is the dewlap what I call double chin?

Mature male leopards have a loose fold of skin that hangs from the underside of the neck. These skin folds are called dewlaps. In mature male leopards, a well-developed dewlap is prominent and is one of the best ways to distinguish age. As a male matures, his dewlap become more developed and is most prominent in males seven years of age and older.
However, the function of the dewlap remains unknown and largely unexplored.



https://adventureiswild.com/2018/05/21/ ... e-dewlaps/

Lisbeth wrote: ↑Sat Jul 04, 2020 9:55 am The expression of the face. The females have a "sweeter" look. The males are..........males

That is because of the different head shape. The males have these thick cheecks and the ears look small because of the larger skull.

Skull is massively built with marked sexual dimorphism. Male skulls are larger and relatively longer with a distinct sagittal crest usually absent in females.
(All the large cat species and males in medium-sized species have bony ridges called sagittal crests along the top of the skull. This provides the necessary surface area to attach muscles and create even greater jaw strength.)

These are all male leopards of all ages from Sabi Sands.

Flutterby wrote: ↑Sat Jul 04, 2020 11:10 am We identified this as a female.

It's a difficult angle, any other photos?

This leopard shows a developed neck region and a rather long head

I think, an older female