The most well-known locations of mountain leopards are Horton Plains National Park and Adam's Peak wildlife reserve. But they aren't limited to these parks. They can be found in small and fragmented habitats around the Hill Country areas. Horton Plains lies above 2200 m altitude.
The grasses on the open plains are vital grazing grounds for Sambar, the favorite food of leopards. Since Horton plains is home to vast herds of Sambar, it is the perfect place for leopards to hunt for their prey.
Definitely, Leopards in Horton Plains are shy and reclusive. This behavior makes leopard sightings quite rare. The mountainous landscape limits human interaction, thus they often try to avoid humans. The climate is also foggy and misty, which makes spotting leopards more difficult in thick grassland.
Though all the leopards found in Sri Lanka are subspecies Panthera pardus kotiya, the mountain leopards have rather a different appearance from the leopards in Yala National Park. The altitude, landscape, and cold weather may have caused their different physical characteristics. For example, mountain leopards have large and broader facial structures compared to their lowland counterparts.

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