Leopards are largely solitary animals, with exceptions being females with cubs, or pairs briefly during courtship and mating periods. For this reason, male and female leopards need to defend territories. Each selects their territories based on different needs. Females select their territories based on density of prey and availability of den sites, and males select theirs based on prey density and availability of females. Therefore, a male territory may encompass multiple female territories. A Leopard territory can vary in size depending on these needs and can be anywhere between 5 and 1 000 km2.