‘How Can a Leopard Change Its Spots?’ Riddle: Answer Explained

Anew riddle trending on social media asks how a leopard can change its spots. If you’re still trying to figure out the answer, read on for more details.

The riddle that you might see on social media is typically pretty simple. It just reads:

How can a leopard change its spots?

Or the riddle might read:

When does a leopard change its spots?

The simple question is surprisingly tough to answer. We often use the phrase “a leopard can’t change its spots” to refer to people who can’t change their true nature. But that’s not what this particular riddle is looking for. So what’s the trick to this question?

Are you ready for the answer? Read on for more details.

Here’s the Answer to the Riddle

A leopard can change its spots by moving from one spot to another. 

Yes, this riddle is actually a lot simpler (and sillier) than you might have expected. The riddle isn’t looking for a scientific answer about leopards and it isn’t looking for a philosophical answer about people changing their true natures either. Instead, it is just a simple question where the word “spot” has a slightly different meaning than you might expect.

You see, the way the riddle is worded, it presupposes that a leopard can change its spots. So answering that a leopard can’t is the wrong answer. (Even though in real life, leopards can’t change their spots.)

Instead, you need to really consider what situation would allow a leopard to change its spots, supposing the riddle sets forth a true event. So for this riddle to be true, you’ll need to consider a definition of “spots” that is different than what you first assume. Thus, “spots” refers to a leopard’s location rather than the coloring and pattern of the leopard’s fur.

If you wanted to offer an alternate answer, a leopard with vitiligo might change its spots too. (This photo is reportedly of a black leopard.) It’s not clear if any leopards have been documented to have vitiligo, but we’ve seen other cats change their coloring as they age because of it, such as the kitten here who went from black to having dappled fur.

If you want to get scientific, Science Daily reported in 2010 that leopards can’t change their spots. The publication also noted that cats end up with their permanent spots or stripes because of three different genes at work behind-the-scenes. The study noted, in part: “Results showed that specific markers were inherited by a kitten every time a given coat pattern appeared, suggesting that the marker and the gene causing the coat pattern were located in the same region of the genome.”

A leopard’s spots are quite beautiful. They’re called rosettes and are two-toned to help them blend better with their natural forest surroundings, the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy shared.

This is just one of many riddles that are circulating on sites like Facebook and Instagram during the coronavirus pandemic. If you’ve seen the “How Many Ducks Do You See?” riddle and were stumped, check out Heavy’s explanation here. If you ran into the “I Met a Man on London Bridge” riddle and have no idea what the man’s name is, you can find the answer in Heavy’s story here. The answer to the “You Enter a Bedroom” riddle is here, and the answer to the “Can You Open the Lock Using These Clues?” riddle is here.

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