The Reign of the Maxim’s Male – Londolozi Blog

Reflecting back in time to stories of the Robson’s 4:4 Male I can’t help but draw some similarities between him and the Maxim’s 5:3 Male. Quoting James Tyrell:

‘I guess in some ways he served to remind us of the wildest elements of old Africa; an Africa devoid of human presence. His reluctance to be viewed only added to his allure as an enigmatic animal.’

The Maxim’s Male was first viewed in January 2019 in the western parts of the reserve. Very little was known about him. Due to his unrelaxed demeanour, we assume that he originated from the Kruger National Park where he was likely exposed to very few vehicles during his formative years. He is likely the biggest male leopard that we view on Londolozi and possibly even the biggest in the Sabi Sand Nature Reserve, this coupled with his majestic golden coat makes any sighting of him phenomenal.

The Maxim’s Male’s behaviour towards vehicles is much different to that of the Senegal Bush male, making it much harder to capture clear footage of this encroaching male in the early times of viewing him.

Fairly skittish male that is presumed to have come from the Kruger National Park.

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In my opinion, he has been an incredibly successful male leopard – measured by both the size of his territory and the length of time he has controlled it During this time he has successfully sired several offspring with the females his territory covers. However, due to his skittish disposition often sightings of him were quite fleeting or in thick areas. Yet I find the above quote by James resonates with me when referring to the Maxim’s Male. He reminds us of the secretive nature expected from many wild leopards and how fortunate we are with the incredible viewing of the other relaxed leopards of Londolozi.

The Maxim’s Male leopard strides across a dry riverbed in front of our vehicle.

So now almost five years later, sightings of the Maxim’s Male have become a lot more regular and we feel that his demeanour has changed to a point where we can see him out in the open and completely relaxed around vehicles. He no longer slinks off into the long grass or thick vegetation. He remains where he is and hardly even bats an eyelid.

How does one measure the success of a dominant leopard?

The success of a leopard is difficult to quantify, but I guess the underlying goal of every animal out here is to survive long enough to reach sexual maturity, secure a mate and essentially pass on one’s genes. For some species this is more easily achieved, for others it is a significantly more challenging feat. So for a male leopard to procure a prime piece of territory, you know that he has already been through a journey rife with challenges, he has endured a lengthy nomadic journey, allowing him to grow and develop into a mature male, equipped with the necessary skills, experience and strength to take on a rival male in the battle for his own territory. Once securing a territory, he needs to actively patrol the territory and defend it against rivals looking to overthrow him, a strenuous and relentless task. Amidst this, he needs to seek out females that are in heat and mate with them in order to sire his own offspring. Unless he is the dominant male in the area it is unlikely that he will achieve this.

So ultimately, success could be measured in the number of offspring one has. If we break it down to the simplest form, one’s hunting skills to ensure it can eat and the amount they sleep then lead to that individual having the necessary energy to obtain and secure territory, find a female and then mate to produce offspring.

The Nkoveni Female and Maxim’s Male mating.

A gorgeous female who is found to the east of camp. Easily recognised by her 2:2 spot pattern she is often to be found in Marula trees.

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So when we look at the Maxim’s Male, over his five-year reign he has helped ensure that three of his progeny have made it to adulthood, namely the Stonedrift Female, the Xinkhova Female and the recently renamed Nsuku Male (aka Three Rivers Young Male). We believe that the Plaque Rock Female’s current litter would very likely have been sired by the Maxim’s Male along with a few potential litters soon as we saw the Nkoveni Female and Three Rivers Female both mating with him.

A recent bout of mating with the Three Rivers Female will probably see her giving birth in March if she successfully conceived.

Forced into early independence as her mother was killed by the Southern Avoca Males.

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One thing is for sure is that this impressive male will certainly leave a legacy and we can only hope to see more of him in the next few years. His territory has begun to shift westwards onto the reserve and we are excited to see what the future holds. One cannot deny that his having newly independent offspring is certainly a sign of success as a dominant male leopard.