130,000+ Books, Games & Puzzles in-stock πŸ‡³πŸ‡Ώ

Leopard

Series: Animal
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Leopard by Desmond Morris delves into the fascinating world of one of nature's most enigmatic and secretive big cats. The book explores the leopard's behaviour, evolution, and cultural significance across the globe. Readers journey through various ecosystems to understand how these solitary predators adapt and thrive in diverse environments.
Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
TEMPORARILY OUT OF STOCK Please add to wishlist to be notified when back in stock

Sorry, we're currently out of stock of Leopard. Please add to your Wishlist and we'll send you an email as soon as it's back in stock.

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by the natural world and want to explore the intricate behaviours and symbolism associated with one of nature's most majestic big cats. With insights from a renowned zoologist, it's perfect for those who appreciate in-depth exploration of animal behaviour and cultural significance.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

The leopard is the ultimate cat. It makes the lion and the tiger appear overblown and all the other members of the cat family look puny. Whereas lions hunt in the open and then share their kill, the leopard is solitary, stealthy and selfish. This cat ambushes its prey and then carries it high into a tree where it can dine alone.In Leopard

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The leopard is the ultimate cat. It makes the lion and the tiger appear overblown, and all the other members of the cat family look puny. Whereas lions hunt in the open and then share their kill, the leopard is solitary, stealthy, and selfish.

This cat ambushes its prey and then carries it high into a tree where it can dine alone. In Leopard, renowned zoologist Desmond Morris shows all sides of the animal's character: its athletic elegance, its predatory skill, its wary shyness, its cunning intelligence, its parental devotion, and its preference for solitary living, even its capacity to seek revenge.

Morris traces the evolution of leopards, their role in circuses, and how we are now making strides in their conservation. He also describes their rich symbolism, and looks at the leopard print in fashion, both haute couture and downmarket, as well as the leopard in art, literature, film, and popular culture.

Series: Animal

View all
  • Squid
    This book traces the many ways humans have thought about and pictured squids. In myths and legends, squids are portrayed as fearsome sea-monsters, lurking in the watery deeps waiting to devour humans. Even as modern science has tried to turn those monsters of the deep into unremarkable calamari, squids continue to dominate the nightmares of the Western imagination. Taking inspiration...
    Paperback
    $3499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Beaver
    Beaver by Rachel Poliquin explores the storied history of this small, often forgotten animal. Poliquin examines why the beaver has been hunted throughout the years, from its fur to the scent produced by its musk gland, as well as looking at the unique way in which beavers form their societies. She also discusses how beavers are not only builders but...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Hedgehog
    A natural and cultural history of the hedgehog, an animal that has had a close connection with people since the dawn of civilisation. This book explores the symbolism of the animal, from Romans who regarded it as a weather prophet, to Sonic the Hedgehog and children's books today. Hedgehog also describes the evolution, behaviour, habitat, and diet of this beautiful,...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Sloth
    Sloths are perhaps the most recognised and loved Central and South American animals. Despite their renown and popularity as cartoon characters, toys, and memes, they are not well understood. This book offers a colourful, richly illustrated, and wide-ranging account of the biological and cultural history of these fascinating mammals. Alan Rauch explores sloths' gigantic prehistoric ancestors and their evolution into...
    Paperback
    $3999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Hyena
    In almost every culture, hyenas are regarded as nasty, scheming charlatans, skulking in the back alleyways of the animal kingdom. Scorned as little more than scavenging carrion-eaters, vandals and thieves, since the earliest times hyenas have been both mistreated and misunderstood. In her new account, Mikita Brottman offers an alternative view, showing that the hyena is, in fact, a complex,...
    Paperback
    $3999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Human
    What does it mean to be human? And what, if anything, does it have to do with being a member of the animal species Homo sapiens? This dazzling book gets to the very heart of our rather unscientific motivations and prejudices, showing how they are of great use in resolving the world's biggest problems. From beasts to aliens, widespread but...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Nightingale
    The nightingale holds a unique place in cultural history: the most prized of songbirds, it has inspired more poems than any other creature and is also the most mythologised of birds. Nightingale juxtaposes the bird of poetry, music, myth, and lore with the living bird of wood and scrubland, unpicking the entangled relationship between them. Covering a vast range of...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Lion
    Majestic, noble, brave lions, with their tawny coats and luminous eyes, have inspired countless stories, traditions, and beliefs. Whether we are seduced by their beauty or drawn to danger, we want to be near them. No other animal has had such an enduring symbolic resonance; lions have been painted on wood and canvas, chiselled in stone, cast in metal, and...
    Paperback
    $3999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Cuckoo
    An entertaining and wide-ranging romp through the cultural history of a peculiar bird. The common cuckoo is a peculiar bird, one that has lent its name to the otherworldly 'Cloud Cuckoo Land' in Aristophanes' play The Birds, and lent its two-note song to the classic cuckoo clock. Even while the cuckoo has long symbolised exuberance or foolishness, at the same...
    Paperback
    $3999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Chicken
    Chicken introduces us to the surprisingly complex world of the chicken, tracing the evolution of jungle fowl and the domestication of chickens by humans. Annie Potts describes the ways in which chickens experience the world, form families and friendships, communicate with each other, and play, bond and grieve. The author also explores practices such as egg-rolling, the cockfight, wishbone-pulling and...
    Paperback
    $3999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Deer
    The Celts called them 'fairy cattle' and the Greeks associated them with the hunter-goddess Artemis, but for most people today, deer are seen as cute, like Bambi, or noble, like the Monarch of the Glen. Deer appear on coats of arms, in fine art, and in literature. In Deer, veterinarian and deer farmer John Fletcher brings together the cultural and...
    Paperback
    $2999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Wasp
    Fear and fascination set wasps apart from other insects. Despite their iconic form and distinctive colours, they are surrounded by myth and misunderstanding. Often portrayed in cartoon-like stereotypes bordering on sad parody, wasps have an unwelcome and undeserved reputation for aggressiveness bordering on vindictive spite. This mistrust is deep-seated in a human history that has awarded commercial and spiritual value...
    Paperback
    $3499
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781780232799

Publisher: Reaktion Books

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 01 June 2014

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Reaktion Books

Illustration: 109 illustrations, 91 in colour

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Weight: 250g

Pages: 184

About the Author

Desmond Morris is a world-renowned zoologist and television presenter, and the author of many best-selling books on human and animal behaviour, including Cats in Art (Reaktion, 2017). He has also written four books in Reaktion’s Animal series.

Also by Desmond Morris

View all
  • 101 Surrealists
    A concise compendium of the lives and work of the 101 most significant Surrealists by one of the last surviving members of the movement, bestselling author and artist Desmond Morris, who knew several of the key participants personally. 2024 marks the centenary of Surrealism, one of the most influential artistic movements of the modern era. In 1924, AndrΓ© Breton wrote...
    Hardback
    $5900
    Available
    Ships in 2-3 weeks
  • The Lives of the Surrealists
    No other art movement in history has contained two artists as different as Magritte and MirΓ³. This is because Surrealism was not in origin an art movement, but a philosophical strategy. It was a way of lifeβ€”a rebellion against the establishment that had given the world the hideous slaughter of the First World War. Instead of trying to analyse the...
    Paperback
    $4699
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Owl
    'The owls are not what they seem'. From ancient Babylon, to Edward Lear's The Owl and the Pussycat and the grandiloquent, absent-minded Owl from Winnie the Pooh, to David Lynch's Twin Peaks, owls have woven themselves into the fabric of human culture from earliest times. Beautiful, silent, pitiless predators of the night, possessing contradictory qualities of good and evil, they...
    Paperback
    $3999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • Postures: Body Language in Art
    Examining the body language displayed in works of art is a whole new way of looking at art. The gestures portrayed can reflect the mores of a particular period in history, the customs of a certain culture, or a fashion in artistic styles. Exploring these with masterful subtlety, celebrated artist and anthropologist Desmond Morris uncovers fascinating insights about changing social...
    Hardback
    $6099
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
  • The Surrealist Menagerie
    Explore how animals shaped the Surrealist imagination through the eyes of celebrated zoologist and Surrealist artist Desmond Morris in this fascinating exploration of the natural world. Join renowned zoologist and Surrealist artist Desmond Morris on an uncanny expedition though the animal kingdom as he explores the many ways that animals prowl, fly and slither through Surrealist art. From Leonora Carrington's...
    Hardback
    $4999
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks

More from Science & Nature

View all
  • Nuclear War
    The Sunday Times bestselling non-fiction thriller that has to be read to be believed. Baillie Gifford shortlisted, a favourite of Steven Bartlett, with an average reader rating of 4.6, sure to be a mass-market hit. Up to now, no one outside of official circles has known exactly what would happen if a rogue state launched a nuclear missile at the...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Anxious Generation
    A powerful argument for reclaiming childhoodβ€”and all human relationshipsβ€”from the online world, from the influential social psychologist and international bestselling author. Jonathan Haidt has spent his career speaking truth and wisdom in some of the most difficult spacesβ€”communities polarised by politics and religion, campuses battling culture wars, and now the mental health emergency hitting teenagers today in many countries around...
    Paperback
    $2299
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Prisoners of Geography
    Prisoners of Geography looks at the past, present, and future to offer crucial insights into one of the major factors that determine world history – because if you don’t know geography, you’ll never have the full picture. Originally published in 2015, this completely revised and updated edition brings it up to date with the events and trends of the past...
    Paperback
    $2899
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Ultra-Processed People
    Launching the runaway bestseller with ambitions to be the biggest non-fiction paperback of the year IT'S NOT YOU. IT'S THE FOOD. "If you only read one diet or nutrition book in your life, make it this one" - Bee Wilson "You've got to get this book in your life . . . Completely compelling . . . Read a page...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Kitchen Confidential
    The classic bestseller from the star of Parts Unknown and No Reservations: 25th Anniversary edition, with a new introduction by Irvine Welsh. BEFORE THERE WAS THE BEAR, THERE WAS BOURDAIN. β€˜Elizabeth David written by Quentin Tarantino’ β€” A.A. Gill β€˜Fantastic: as lip-smackingly seductive as a bowl of fat chips and pungent aioli’ β€” Daily Telegraph After twenty-five years of sex,...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Sapiens
    Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari is an extraordinary exploration of humanity's history from the dawn of our species to the present day. Harari delves into our evolution, offering insights into the cognitive revolutions that allowed Homo sapiens to rise above other animal species. Traversing through various stages of human development, he examines the Agricultural Revolution, the unification of humankind through...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $3000
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Talk
    A Harvard professor shows how we can become better talkers - and why effective conversation will help us all thrive. Conversation is at the heart of our relationships and decision-making, but the science behind our everyday interactions, and how to improve them, is little known. In Talk, Harvard Professor Alison Wood Brooks provides fascinating insights into the power of effective...
    Paperback
    $3000
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Clean & Green
    Simple swaps and innovative ideas for cleaning and maintaining your home that won't cost the Earth. Learn how easy it is to make simple swaps in your cleaning and tidying methods for a more eco-friendly home. This beautifully illustrated black and white guide with 101 hints and sustainable, natural cleaning tips and hacks will help you take small steps that...
    Paperback
    $2999
    (2)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • On Sale
    18% off
    The Genetic Book of the Dead
    From one of the world’s great science writers, a book that explores the deepest principles of evolutionary history. In this groundbreaking new approach to the evolution of all life, Richard Dawkins shows how the body, behaviour, and genes of every living creature can be read as a book – an archive of the worlds of its ancestors. A perfectly camouflaged...
    Hardback
    $4000
    Elsewhere:
    $5499
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • The Coming Wave
    The instant Sunday Times bestseller from the ultimate AI insider - the only book you need to read on this subject. An Economist, Financial Times, Guardian, Prospect and Sunday Times Book of the Year Shortlisted for the FT and Schroders Business Book of the Year This is the only book you need to understand our new world - from the...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2800
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Breath
    Discover the transformative power of breathing in Breath by esteemed journalist James Nestor. This revolutionary book delves into the science and history of one of the most fundamental human activities - breathing. From the bustling streets of SΓ£o Paulo to the serene temples of India, Nestor embarks on a global journey to uncover the secrets of ancient breathing techniques such...
    Paperback
    $2100
    Elsewhere:
    $2600
    (1)
    In Stock
    Ships today
  • Murder Before Evensong
    THE INSTANTLY ICONIC NO. 1 BESTSELLER 'I've been waiting for a novel with vicars, rude old ladies, murder and sausage dogs... et voila!' Dawn French 'Cosy crime with a cutting edge' Telegraph 'Whodunnit fans can give praise and rejoice' Ian Rankin 'Charming and funny' Observer 'Even better than I knew it would be' India Knight 'Quintessentially English' Sunday Express 'An...
    Paperback
    $2500
    Elsewhere:
    $2799
    In Stock
    Ships today

Why buy from us?

Book Hero is not a chain store or big box retailer. We're an independent 100% NZ-owned business on a mission to help more Kiwis rediscover a love of books and reading!

Service & Delivery

Service & Delivery

Our warehouse in Auckland holds over 100,000 books, toys, board games and puzzles in-stock so you're not waiting for your order to arrive from overseas.

Auckland Bookstore

Auckland Bookstore

We're primarily an online store, but for your convenience you can pick up your order for free from our bookstore, which is right next door to our warehouse in Hobsonville.

Our Gifting Service

Our Gifting Service

Books make wonderful thoughtful gifts and we're here to help with gift-wrapping and cards. We can even send your gift directly to your loved one.