Research overview: multi-male mating and paternity in leopards

Leopards are solitary and territorial, yet females may mate with more than one male, and the resulting paternity patterns shed light on the species' mating system. This overview surveys observations of leopard estrus, mate searching, and copulation, together with genetic studies that assess how often litters have multiple sires or fathers from outside a female's expected territorial male. It considers how overlapping male and female ranges, infanticide risk, and female mate choice shape these patterns. The review highlights the difficulty of studying reproduction in such a cryptic cat and the value of molecular tools. Understanding leopard mating informs conservation genetics and the interpretation of population structure in fragmented landscapes.