In Kenya, you will often hear about baboons and leopards being natural enemies—so much so that if a leopard is spotted in an area, the assumption is that it must have been driven away by a troop of baboons. But is it really as simple as that? Are leopards afraid of baboons? The answer is no. Leopards are not afraid of baboons, they just tend to avoid them. Here’s why… To understand this fully, we need to first understand how leopards and baboons live. Leopards are largely solitary animals. They spend almost all their time alone or in small groups of two or three individuals called ‘coalitions’. These small parties come together only to mate and then go their separate ways again.
Why do leopards avoid baboons?
Leopards are very territorial animals. They defend their own territory by marking it with their scat and scratch marks on trees. They also scent-mark it with urine, making their presence very obvious. If a neighboring leopard comes across these signs, they will know they’re in another individual’s territory and will avoid it.
However, baboons are sociable animals that live in large groups in which each individual knows their place within the hierarchy. This means that a male baboon will always have higher status than a solitary leopard. The leopard will know it’s outranked by the baboon and so will avoid entering his territory.
The reason why leopards are not afraid of baboons
As mentioned above, leopards are outranked by baboons, so they avoid them. However, what if the baboons were to leave? Say the baboons were foraging for food or were distracted by something else. In this situation, a leopard would most likely take advantage of the situation and find a way to get into the baboons’ territory.
The leopard would also hunt for the group of baboons. This is because leopards are carnivorous animals that eat mainly meat. In fact, leopards will hunt any animal that they can get their paws on.
This includes smaller mammals, birds, reptiles, fish and even insects. Baboons are on the leopard’s menu, but they are the least preferred choice.
Baboons are leopards’ food source
One of the main reasons that leopards hunt baboons is because they are an easy meal. Baboons are large mammals that can weigh up to 40 pounds. This makes them the perfect size for a large predator like the leopard. The baboons are also diurnal (active during the day), which makes them easy prey.
When hunting at night, leopards can only go after smaller, less dangerous animals like rodents. Baboons also live in large groups and are very territorial. It’s easy for a leopard to take advantage of this and trap the baboons in a corner. When they have nowhere to go, the leopard can easily catch one of the baboons.
Baboon pups are leopards’ prey
While the adult baboons are out and about, the young ones called ‘pups’ stay back in the group. The pups are very small and not able to forage for food for themselves yet. They also don’t have the same sense of danger that an adult would have.
The leopard can take advantage of this by sneaking into the group and grabbing a few of the pups. Baboons are very protective of their young, so the adults may rush to their defense and try to scare the leopard away. However, there’s a good chance that the leopard will have already escaped with a few pups in their mouths.
Baboons can make leopards feel uncomfortable
While baboons are leopards’ prey, they can also be pests. In areas where leopards and baboons live together, the leopards will often find the baboons to be a nuisance. This is because the baboons often invade the leopards’ territory without a care in the world.
The baboons will climb trees and play in the water. They can also spread diseases, such as fleas, through contact with their saliva. The leopards end up living in a smaller area as a result of all this and aren’t able to get much sleep as the baboons are constantly making noise.
Conclusion
These are some reasons why leopards avoid baboons. Leopards, being solitary, territorial creatures, avoid baboons because the baboons are larger and outranked by them. Baboons are leopards’ food source, and they are also pests that invade the leopards’ territory.
If the leopards were to chase the baboons away, they would simply find another territory to live in nearby. In short, leopards are not afraid of baboons, they just tend to avoid them.
