THE HUNTING LEOPARD 



[Cyncslurus jubatus) 



Also known as the Chita or Cheetah, Luipard, or Vlackte 

 tijger ; Ngulule of Zulus (Drummond) ; Shlozi of 

 Amaxosa [Cloete) ; Nki or Nkwani of Bechuanas 

 {Smith) ; Sigakaka of Basutos {Kirhy) ; Ihlozi of Swazis 



The Hunting Leopard must not be confused with 

 the' real Leopard, which in South Africa is popu- 

 larly known as a Tiger. It is so very different from 

 the true leopard in a variety of ways that naturalists 

 have been obliged to create a new genus for it. 



The true cats, which are all similar in tooth and 

 claw formation, are grouped under one genus, viz. 

 Felis. The genus in which the Hunting Leopard 

 is placed is known as Cynoelurus, which means 

 " dog-cat," so called because this animal possesses 

 some of the characteristics of the dog tribe, and 

 can be aptly described as a creature which is one 

 part dog and three parts cat. 



All the true cats have sharp curved talons or 

 claws that are retractile, which means they can 

 be withdrawn into sockets in the toes so as to be 

 invisible. 



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