A young leopard in Kruger National Park in South Africa thinks that tender baby porcupines might make a good meal. The porcupine parents think not, and stand together to protect their children. Yet the leopard doesn't want to give up, even when he is pierced with quills, indicating that he is either young and still learning about prey, or else is desperately hungry. It's hard to gauge how large the leopard is, since African porcupines are huge, much bigger than American porcupines.
Does the leopard learn his lesson here? Not quite. He only backs off when he notices a human, field guide Mfundo Nyambi, recording the sequence. This cat might not know about porcupines, but he is apparently aware that humans are the most dangerous species on earth. Either that, or he's embarrassed that his failure was caught on video. (via reddit)
It's a wonder he didn't loose an eye. US porcupines will also swat you with their tail.
ReplyDeleteI remember my dog coming home with a snoot full of spines. As I pulled them out a tiny drop of blood would appear on the black nose. When I finished half the nose his tongue snaked out and carefully licked that half.
interesting - & we think we're the best creatures of all...
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