# @natgeo on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/CcGaYPeDdMC
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/11680860-natgeo-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/thumbnails/a76d56592b.jpg
- **Posted:** 2022-04-08T18:30:31.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** National Geographic (@NatGeo) — https://gondola.cc/NatGeo

## Caption

Photo by mattiasklumofficial | Leopards, just like house cats, spend a considerable amount of time licking their fur to keep it clean. The tongue of this top predator (and many other species) has tiny, backward-facing barbs called papillae. These contain keratin, which makes them quite rigid, so the papillae act as a hairbrush. Leopards are amazingly graceful and powerful big cats, found in sub-Saharan Africa, northeast Africa, Central Asia, India, and China. However, many of their populations are endangered, especially outside of Africa. I photographed this female leopard grooming herself in Mombo Camp, Botswana. Please visit mattiasklumofficial for more from our projects around the world. #leopard #grooming #endangered #cat #pattern #conservation #savebigcats #botswana

## Stats

- **Views:** 0
- **Likes:** 251,924
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- **Comments:** 828

## Tags

botswana, conservation, endangered, savebigcats, grooming, cat, pattern, leopard

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