Editing Leopard (section)

===Enemies and competitors===
[[File:Lioness vs Leopard 9 July 2016 Latest Sightings 1.png|thumb|A lioness steals a leopard kill in Kruger National Park]] 
Across its range, the leopard coexists with a number of other large predators. In Africa, it is part of a large predator [[Guild (ecology)|guild]] with lions, cheetahs, [[spotted hyena|spotted]] and [[brown hyena]]s, and [[African wild dog]]s.<ref name=Rafiaq2020>{{cite journal|last1=Rafiq|first1=K.|last2=Wayward |first2=M. W.|last3=Wilson|first3=A. M.|last4=Meloro|first4=C. |last5=Jordan|first5=N. R. |last6=Wich |first6=S. A. |last7=McNutt|first7=J. W. |last8=Golabek|first8=K. A.|year=2020|title=Spatial and temporal overlaps between leopards (''Panthera pardus'') and their competitors in the African large predator guild|journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=311 |issue=4 |pages=246–259 |doi=10.1111/jzo.12781}}</ref> The leopard is dominant only over the cheetah while the others have the advantage of size, pack numbers or both.<ref name=estes/> Lions pose a great mortal threat and can be responsible for 22% of leopard deaths in [[Sabi Sand Game Reserve]]. Spotted hyenas are less threatening but are more likely to [[Kleptoparasitism|steal kills]], being the culprits of up to 50% of stolen leopard kills in the same area.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Balme|first1=G. A.|last2=Pitman|first2=R. T.|last3=Robinson|first3=H. S.|last4=Miller|first4=J. R. B.|last5=Funston|first5=P. J.|last6=Hunter|first6=L. T. B.|year=2017|title=Leopard distribution and abundance is unaffected by interference competition with lions|journal=Behavioral Ecology |volume=28 |issue=5 |pages=1348–1358 |doi=10.1093/beheco/arx098}}</ref><ref name=Balme2017>{{cite journal|last1=Balme|first1=G. A. |last2=Miller |first2=J. R. B.|last3=Pitman|first3=R. T.|last4=Hunter|first4=L. T. B.|year=2017|title=Caching reduces kleptoparasitism in a solitary, large felid|journal=Journal of Animal Ecology|volume=86|issue=3 |pages=634–644 |doi=10.1111/1365-2656.12654 |pmid=28217865 |bibcode=2017JAnEc..86..634B}}</ref> To counter this, leopards store their kills in the trees and out of reach.<ref name=Balme2017/><ref name=Vissia2022>{{cite journal|last1=Vissia|first1=S.|last2=Fattebert|first2=J. |last3=van Langevelde|first3=F. |year=2022 |title=Leopard density and interspecific spatiotemporal interactions in a hyena-dominated landscape|journal=Ecology and Evolution |volume=12 |issue=10 |page=e9365 |doi=10.1002/ece3.9365 |pmid=36225822 |pmc=9534747 |bibcode=2022EcoEv..12E9365V}}</ref> Lions have a high success rate in fetching leopard kills from trees.<ref name=Balme2017/> Leopards do not seem to actively avoid their competitors but rather difference in prey and habitat preferences appear to limit their spatial overlap.<ref name=Rafiaq2020/> In particular, leopards use heavy vegetation regardless of whether lions are present in an area and both cats are active at the same time of day.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Miller|first1=J. R. B. |last2=Pitman |first2=R. T. |last3=Mann |first3=G. K. H. |last4=Fuller|first4=A. K.|last5=Balme|first5=G. A. |year=2018|title=Lions and leopards coexist without spatial, temporal or demographic effects of interspecific competition |journal=Journal of Animal Ecology |volume=87 |issue=6 |pages=1709–1726 |doi=10.1111/1365-2656.12883 |pmid=30010193 |bibcode=2018JAnEc..87.1709M}}</ref>

In Asia, the leopard's main competitors are tigers and [[dhole]]s. Both the larger tiger and pack-living dhole dominate leopards during encounters. Interactions between the three predators involve chasing, stealing kills and direct killing.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Srivathsa |first1=A. |last2=Ramachandran|first2=V. |last3=Saravanan |first3=P. |last4=Sureshbabu |first4=A. |last5=Ganguly |first5=D. |last6=Ramakrishnan |first6=U. |year=2023 |title=Topcats and underdogs: intraguild interactions among three apex carnivores across Asia's forestscapes |journal=Biological Reviews |volume=98 |issue=6 |pages=2114–2135 |doi=10.1111/brv.12998 |pmid=37449566 |s2cid=259903849 |name-list-style=amp}}</ref> Tigers appear to inhabit the deep parts of the forest while leopards and dholes are pushed closer to the fringes.<ref>{{cite journal |author=Thinley, P. |author2=Rajaratnam, R. |author3=Lassoie, J. P. |author4=Morreale, S. J. |author5=Curtis, P. D. |author6=Vernes, K. |author7=Leki Leki |author8=Phuntsho, S. |author9=Dorji, T. |author10=Dorji, P. |name-list-style=amp |year=2018 |title=The ecological benefit of tigers (''Panthera tigris'') to farmers in reducing crop and livestock losses in the eastern Himalayas: Implications for conservation of large apex predators |journal=Biological Conservation |volume=219 |pages=119–125 |doi=10.1016/j.biocon.2018.08.007 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The three predators coexist by hunting different sized prey.<ref name=Karanth>{{cite journal |last=Karanth |first=K. U. |author2=Sunquist, M. E. |name-list-style=amp |year=2000 |title=Behavioural correlates of predation by tiger (''Panthera tigris''), leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and dhole (''Cuon alpinus'') in Nagarahole, India | journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=250 |pages=255–265 |doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.2000.tb01076.x |issue=2}}</ref> In [[Nagarhole National Park]], the average size for a leopard kill was {{cvt|37.6|kg}} compared to {{cvt|91.5|kg}} for tigers and {{cvt|43.4|kg}} for dholes.<ref name=KaranthSunquist1995>{{cite journal |author1=Karanth, K. U. |author2=Sunquist, M. E. |name-list-style=amp |title=Prey selection by tiger, leopard and dhole in tropical forests |jstor=5647 |doi=10.2307/5647 |journal=Journal of Animal Ecology |volume=64 |issue=4 |year=1995 |pages=439–450|bibcode=1995JAnEc..64..439K}}</ref> At [[Kui Buri National Park]], following a reduction in prey numbers, tigers continued to feed on favoured prey while leopards and dholes had to increase their consumption of small prey.<ref>{{cite journal |author1=Steinmetz, R. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Seuaturien, N. |author3=Intanajitjuy, P. |author4=Inrueang, P. |author5=Prempree, K. |year=2021 |title=The effects of prey depletion on dietary niches of sympatric apex predators in Southeast Asia |journal=Integrative Zoology |volume=16 |issue=1 |pages=19–32 |doi=10.1111/1749-4877.12461|pmid=32627329 }}</ref> Leopards can live successfully in tiger habitat when there is abundant food and vegetation cover.<ref name=Karanth/><ref>{{cite journal |author1=Odden, M. |name-list-style=amp |author2=Wegge, P. |author3=Fredriksen, T. |year=2010 |title=Do tigers displace leopards? If so, why? |journal=Ecological Research |volume=25 |issue=4 |pages=875–881 |doi=10.1007/s11284-010-0723-1 |bibcode=2010EcoR...25..875O}}</ref> Otherwise, they appear to be less common where tigers are numerous. The recovery of the tiger population in [[Rajaji National Park]] during the 2000s led to a reduction in leopard population densities.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Harihar |first1=A. |last2=Pandav |first2=B. |last3=Goyal |first3=S. P. |year=2011 |title=Responses of leopard ''Panthera pardus'' to the recovery of a tiger ''Panthera tigris'' population |journal=Journal of Applied Ecology |volume=48 |issue=3 |pages=806–814 |doi=10.1111/j.1365-2664.2011.01981.x|doi-access=free |bibcode=2011JApEc..48..806H |name-list-style=amp}}</ref>