Analysis: An introduction to leopard habitat, behavior and diet
The leopard (Panthera pardus) is one of the five species of big cats in the genus Panthera, which also includes tigers, lions, and jaguars.
These beautiful carnivores are the subject of movies, legends and folktales and are common in captivity. There are nine official leopard subspecies, as well as several proposed subspecies.
Leopards are considered vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered animals in different areas of their range, including parts of Africa and Asia.
Trivia: Leopards
Scientific name: Money Leopard
Common names: leopard, leopard
Basic animal group: Mammals
Dimensions: 22-22 inches high, 35-75 inches long
Weight: 82–200 lbs
Lifespan: 21-23 years
Diet: Carnivores
Habitat: Africa and Asia
Conservation Status: Endangered or Near Endangered, depending on location
description
The base color of the leopard print coat is creamy yellow on the belly and slightly darkened to orange-brown on the back. Leopards have mottled solid black spots on their limbs and head. These spots form a circular rosette pattern with a golden or tan in the center.
Rosettes are most prominent on the back and flanks of the jaguar. The leopard has smaller spots on its neck, belly and limbs and does not form rosettes. The leopard has irregular patches on its tail that turn into dark rings at the tip of the tail.
Leopards exhibit a range of color and pattern variations. Like many felines, leopards sometimes exhibit melanin poisoning, a genetic mutation that causes the animal's skin and fur to contain large amounts of a dark pigment called melanin. Black Panther is also known as Black Panther.
These leopards were once thought to be a different species from non-blackened leopards. Upon closer inspection, it is clear that the background coat color is dark, but the rosettes and spots are still there, only obscured by the darker undercoat.
Leopards living in desert areas tend to be lighter in color than leopards living in grasslands. The leopards that inhabit the steppe are darker golden.
Leopards have shorter legs than many other species of big cats. Their bodies are long and their skulls are relatively large. Leopards are similar in appearance to jaguars, but they have smaller garlands with no black spots in the center of the garland.
Adult leopards weigh between 82 and 200 pounds. Leopards live between 12 and 17 years.
Habitat and distribution
The geographical range of leopards is the most widespread of all big cats. They inhabit grasslands and deserts in sub-Saharan Africa, including West Africa, Central, South and East Africa, and Southeast Asia.
Their range does not overlap with that of jaguars, native to Central and South America.
Diet and behavior
Leopards are carnivores, but their diet is the most extensive of all cats. Leopards feed mainly on large prey, such as ungulates . They also feed on monkeys, insects, birds, small mammals and reptiles.
Leopards' diets vary depending on where they are located. In Asia, their prey includes antelope, antelope, deer, and ibex.
Leopards feed mainly at night and are good at climbing, often taking their prey to trees to forage or hide for later use. By foraging in trees, leopards can avoid being disturbed by scavengers such as jackals and hyenas.
When leopards catch large prey, it can sustain them for up to two weeks.
Reproduction and offspring
Leopards have multiple mates and breed year-round; Females attract potential mates by secreting pheromones. Females give birth to two to four pups after a gestation period of about 96 days, usually one litter every 15 to 24 months.
Leopard pups are small (about two pounds at birth) and spend the first week of life with their eyes closed. The pups walk at about 2 weeks of college, leave the nest at about 7 weeks of age, and are weaned at three months.
They become independent at 20 months of age, although siblings may live together for several years, and the pups usually remain in the area where they were born.
Protection status
There are more leopards than any other big cat, but, according to the Animal Diversity Network,
"Leopards are declining in part of their geographic range due to habitat loss and fragmentation and hunting for trade and pest control. As a result, leopards are listed as "nearly threatened" on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. ”
Efforts are being made to protect much of their range of activity in West Africa, but their numbers are still decreasing; Five of the leopard's nine subspecies are now considered endangered or critically endangered:
Panthera pardus nimr - Arabian leopard (CR critically endangered)
Panthera pardus saxicolor - Persian leopard (EN endangered)
Panthera pardus melas - Javan leopard (CR critically endangered)
Panthera pardus kotiya - Sri Lankan leopard (EN endangered)
Panthera pardus japonensis - Chinese northern leopard (en endangered)
Panthera pardus orientalis – Amur leopard (CR critically endangered)
Bibliography:
Animal Encyclopedia
"On the Origin of Species"
