When a big-cat mother is ready to give birth she finds a safe place for a den. It might be a rocky cave, a hollow log, or a group of bushes. Snow leopards may use a secret shelter high on a mountain cliff. A lioness may find one among tall grasses. It is important that the cubs are hidden from predators because the mother will raise them alone. Male big cats do not help. The cubs are also born blind and remain so for the first one to two weeks. Their mother will leave them to hunt nearby, but she returns often to suckle them. The mother always stays vigilant. At any sign of danger she will pick up each cub with her mouth and carry it by the back of the neck to a new den. She may change dens several times to keep her young safe.
This clouded leopard cub is about twomonths old and actively exploring its surroundings. On averagemost big cats have two to four cubs, though cheetahs usually have three to five.
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