Recently, the video of a male leopard eating obesity in Liupanshan, Ningxia, has attracted the attention of netizens. In the video, the fat leopard is walking on the snow, with a big belly, so that it has to gasp when walking, and the ass is crooked, stopping to rest, and it is very cute. Netizens are curious about how a leopard is so fat? Is it good to eat so fat? Can it still run that fast when it's hunting? Can you still catch prey?
Normal leopards are slim and well-proportioned, and leopards in Liupanshan are fat and bloated.
It is understood that the Ningxia Liupanshan North China Leopard Population Survey Project Team gave the fat leopard the number M3, but the M3 weight should reach at least 70-80 kg, its dangling belly when walking can at least be inferred, Liupanshan prey is very rich, this leopard's competitiveness is very strong, or the lack of local competition.
Up to now, infrared cameras have recorded that LiupanShan has survived 7 kinds of ungulates such as Chinese Impala, Chinese iguana, Siberian roe deer, small mule, forest musk deer, hairy crown deer, wild boar, etc., and carnivores include leopards, ocelots, red foxes, yellow-throated martens, pig badgers, dog badgers, weasels, weasels, weasels, shrews, civets and other 10 species, of which the ferret family is particularly rich.
According to reports, leopards usually use 15 to 80 kg of ungulates as their main prey, while leopards in one area will use the largest number of herbivores in the area as staple food.
Ningxia Liupanshan North China Leopard Population Survey Team relevant personnel believe that Liupanshan leopard is very mouthy, their menu has 7 hardcore main dishes - in addition to the common wild boar and roe deer, there are also forest musk, hairy deer, small chamois, Chinese impala and Chinese iguana. According to the statistics currently filmed, the leopard recipes in Liupanshan are more selective, and it is likely that they will hunt wild boar more often. In Liupan mountain, leopards will prey all 7 species of ungulates and other hares, badgers, etc., but prefer 1 to 2 kinds of prey the most.
When Guo Zhihong of the Liupanshan Forestry Bureau once patrolled the mountains, he encountered a wild boar with cubs, and the sow suspected that he was threatening to scream at him, frightening him to climb up the tree to avoid a disaster. "There are many wild boars in Liupanshan, and I plan to spend 3 years investigating the number and capacity of wild boars in Liupanshan." Guo Zhihong has a small goal. Considering the richness of wild boars in Liupanshan, Liupanshan has sufficient half-size wild boar for leopards to catch, and the cost of hunting is not high. Wild boar remains eaten by leopards have also been found many times during field work, indicating that leopards are fully capable of hunting piglets and sub-adult wild boars. If the competition is fierce, a leopard will not have a chance to eat too fat. Since M3 can be so fat, it can be speculated that it occupies a comparative advantage.
Is liupanshan male leopard fat normally? According to reports, it is normal for male leopards to be fat, which is a good thing. This largely shows that the protection of Liupan mountain is very in place, and the prey is very rich, which is the key factor for the male leopard of Liupan Mountain to eat fat with strength. This is exactly what the project team wants to see: the leopard is pampered and enjoys the undisturbed wilderness.
Since 1980, the state has implemented a series of ecological construction and protection projects in LiupanShan, such as water conservation forest, returning farmland to forest, sealing off mountains and prohibiting grazing, and afforestation and afforestation in areas above 400 mm of precipitation lines. After more than 30 years of ecological protection and afforestation, the forest coverage rate of Liupan Mountain has increased from 20% in the past to 64.5% now, and the good ecological environment has made it a kingdom of wild animals. 273 species of rare wild animals such as North China leopards, ocelots and hairy-crowned deer breed here.
(Some of the text material comes from Ningxia Daily)
Author: Li Ling
Source: People's Daily client Ningxia Channel