This guide is meant to help users learn about leopons and leopon breeding.
Brought to you in part by the Leopon League.

What is a leopon?
A leopon is a hybrid between a female lion and a male leopard. The official story is that first generation leopons are born when the female lion sneaks off with a male leopard.

What is a first generation leopon?

A first generation leopon is born randomly. A first gen can be born in any breeding between any two lions, although the father will show as "unknown" once the cub is born, because the female is said to have bred with an unknown male leopard. There are around 35 first generation leopons in existence at the time of this writing.

First generation leopons will always have "Leopon (First Generation)" listed as their mutation under "appearance" on their page. First gens always have a kimanjano base, mottled rosette in slot 6, and white underfelt in slot 1 when they are born. All lions with a kimanjano base or mottled rosette marking must have a leopon somewhere in their lineage, since neither can be applied with apps or bred randomly (except through a first generation leopon).


Note: Players can change the appearance of their first gen, just as they can with any other lion. Therefore, the best way to know for sure is to look under "mutation" on their page.

First generation leopons are also special because they have a 10% chance of passing the leopon genes to each cub, which is double that of a second gen leopon.

What is a second generation leopon?
A second generation leopon is any leopon born after a first gen. Sometimes, players will refer to leopons as third gen, fourth gen, etc., which is legitimate, but second gen is a more general term.

Second generation leopons have a 5% chance of passing the leopon genes to each cub that they produce.

How can I breed a leopon, and what items should I use?
The ONLY way to increase the odds of a leopon being born from a leopon female is to use a buffalo scrotum or grain of paradise.
Since the odds of having a leopon cub born are 5-10% per cub, it is best to feed the stud a Buffalo Scrotum (3+ cubs guaranteed) or a Grain of Paradise (2+ cubs guaranteed). Without these items, breedings are most likely to produce only 1 cub, although more are certainly possible.

Buffalo scrotums (aka "buffy balls") give a 15-20% chance of producing a leopon from a second gen (5% per cub x 3-4 cubs). Grains of paradise (GOP) give a 10-20% chance of producing a leopon from a second gen (5% per cub x 2-4 cubs). These odds are doubled when breeding a first generation leopon with these items.

What about Cotton Root Bark, Lion Meat, GMO Cows, or Lion Scrotum/Balls?
Lion balls will not work on hybrids at all. Lion meat and/or GMO cows may be used, but they will not increase your chances of breeding a second generation leopon. They will raise the chances of breeding a first gen, just as they do in any other breeding, but again this is very rare . Some players use those mutation items when breeding leopons just to boost the chances of the leopon breeding some other mutation.

Cotton Root Bark, or CRB, is not recommended to be used on leopons simply because it is possible that the litter you get rid of could have had a leopon in it, and no one wants to lose one of those. Also, it adds 3 days to their breeding cooldown, which could lead to a lost heat.

How can I use Yohimbe Barks and Shadows of Death?
Both of these items reduce the breeding cooldown of a leopon by one day per item. The shadow of death, though, will also age the leopon by one day. Yohimbe barks allow you to skip certain days of the cooldown without an aging penalty, so it is possible that a leopon could be bred more than the number of natural heats that she has.

Does fertility matter?
Lower fertilities may slightly increase the chance of a random first generation leopon being born. However, first gens and second gens will always have the same chance per cub of producing a leopon, regardless of their fertility. In other words, you can raise a leopon's fertility to 99% and they still have a 5-10% chance of producing a leopon per cub.

Can I king a leopon?
Yes, you can. However, leopon males are always sterile. If you king a leopon, then it will not be able to breed or stud at all. It would be a trophy king, and you would have to use studs for all of your lionesses.

How much are leopons worth?
The exact worth of leopons varies depending upon the market. At the time of writing, leopon cubs are worth hundreds of gold beetles. Frozen leopons are worth less, since they cannot be bred, and therefore are trophies for your den.

What is the deal with rosettes?
A mottled rosette-marked leopon is always worth more than a non-mottled leopon of the same age. Other rosettes, such as ginger or onyx, add to the worth of a leopon as well. Special bases or breed-only marks will also add to the worth of a particular leopon.

Ochre gnawrocks can be used to guarantee the pass of a certain mark, such as a rosette. However, leopons, even non-mottled leopons, are considerably better at passing mottled rosette than normal lions. If you have a non-mottled leopon and want mottled cubs, then you will need to breed to a stud with the mottled rosette marking.

What is a reverse leopon heat?
Sometimes, players will sell the heats of their leopons. Typically, the leopon remains in their den but you get to claim the cub(s). Most players charge a GB fee and require that you provide the buffalo scrotum and instant birth feather. Read the terms carefully before you buy a heat, because sometimes the owner of the pon may allow you to take all of the cubs, or only first choice of a leopon. For example, if two leopons are born, some owners may say that you can pick your favorite, but that they will keep the second leopon.

General Tips for Making the Most of a Leopon
Leopons should always be given a zebra heart on the day they turn 2 to force them into heat. Further, you should always breed them on the first day they come into heat, and use instant birth feathers. If you do this, then you will gain one additional natural heat from your leopon at the end of their life.

What is a tigon?
Tigons are a new hybrid that is supposed to be released in 2018.
See sketches of Tigons here
We assume that the breeding mechanism for tigons will be similar to that of leopons, since they are both hybrids.

Feel free to comment any questions or updates that you think I should make to this guide :)
Last Updated: April 25, 2018