The national animal of Benin is the leopard. This big cat is a vitally important national symbol and embodies a great deal of what is important to the people of Benin. The tropical climate of the country also makes it perfect for the leopard and so the animal has become an iconic member of national wildlife.
Leopards are a common choice as a national animal in countries where they can be found—and even sometimes where they can’t. they are powerful, strong, majestic hunters, yet they also embody a kind of silent grace and fortitude.
Let’s find out more.
What is the national animal of Benin?
The national animal of Benin is the leopard.
This is a big cat and indeed one of the biggest in the world.
The term “leopard” itself refers to five different species within the genus Panthera, usually with pale yellowish or golden fur and its iconic dark spots in rosettes.
Their bodies are muscular and generally around 36 to 72 inches long with a tail that can be as long as 40 inches.
At the shoulder they usually stand around 24-28 inches tall, and can weigh anywhere from 68 to 95 pounds.
They were first classified by modern naturalism in 1758, and a number of subspecies were proposed in the following centuries.
They are thought to have evolved in Africa in the period known as the Early Pleistocene, eventually migrating out and reaching all across Eurasia.
At one time they were also present in Europe though went extinct around 11,000 years ago in this part of the world.
They live in a great variety of habitats.
In Benin, they tend to live in the tropical parts of the country like the rainforests and wetlands.
They can, though, also live in the drier steppe and montane areas.
They tend mostly to hunt ungulates and primates, with their spots providing excellent camouflage for their hunts.
They will interact with other members of their species only during mating seasons and when a mother is raising her young; otherwise they are fully solitary animals.
They are at present listed as vulnerable by the IUCN Red List, and their population has been declining for a variety of reasons.
They are threatened by habitat loss and thus fragmentation, as well as illegal hunting and retaliation for the loss of livestock.
They have played a very important role in the cultures of many parts of the world—so why are they Benin’s national animal?
Why is the leopard the national animal of Benin?
There are a few important reasons why the leopard was chosen as Benin’s national animal.
Of course, there are the more obvious aspects of what the leopard embodies, more or less universally, for human beings.
They are powerful, strong, courageous beasts, apex predators threatened by nothing except humans in their natural environment.
These are important values for the people of Benin and the leopard is seen as a vital embodiment of this kind of raw power and bravery.
At the same time, though, as mentioned, they are also graceful and silent predators capable of sneaking up on prey to a very close distance.
So, while they are on the one hand symbols of raw power, they also embody grace and tranquillity in their movement.
Another common reason, though, for the decision to make a particular animal a country’s national animal, is its conservation status.
As mentioned, leopard populations worldwide are threatened by number of different problems.
By making them the national animal, Benin can also bring attention to this problem, and though awareness itself won’t save them, it’s a really important stepping stone to preventing their total extinction.
Are leopards and cheetahs the same?
Leopards and cheetahs are not the same; they are different species entirely.
Cheetahs are a great deal smaller than leopards, and are the big cats known for their incredible speed.
They can chase prey down over short distances, whereas leopards are opportunistic predators who ambush prey from a close range.
Cheetahs, also, very frequently live and hunt in groups, as opposed to the solitary existences of leopards.
Cheetahs like to target large prey like ostrich, and a single cheetah would not be able to bring such a large animal down.
Leopards, on the other hand, are able to hunt smaller prey more frequently without the aid of others.
Do leopards hunt humans?
Leopards do not really hunt humans on a regular basis, but among big cats they are fairly unique in their tendency to attack and kill humans.
Some individual leopards in the past have been said to have killed or maimed hundreds of people before being killed themselves.
So, in general, they don’t hunt humans and prefer to avoid human contact where possible.
That said, they are indeed known to attack people.
Whether they “hunt” them, though, is really a question of semantics.
Leopards hunt ungulates and small primates; most humans are bigger prey than they would generally go for so we are not in that much danger.
Without doubt, then, the leopard is one of the world’s most dangerous hunters.
They are powerful ambush predators that have both the enormous size and strength to bring down their prey while also having the stealth and grace to approach silently.
In this way they are seen to be the embodiment of the apex of Benin food chains and ecosystems, so the decision to make them the national animal perhaps always seemed like a perfectly natural one.