Baima Snow Mountain is mostly a primeval forest dominated by alpine shrub meadows, alpine bare rock and alpine coniferous forests, and the forest ecological environment is better, which is conducive to the reproduction of various species and is also one of the important breeding habitats for wild animals.
Recently, the infrared camera of The White Horse Snow Mountain photographed the figure of the golden leopard. Experts have identified the golden leopard image body characteristics, patterned patches around the body and historical data, and believe that the golden leopard that appeared this time is likely to be a South China leopard facing extinction. According to reports, there were many South China leopards in the White Horse Snow Mountain, but no trace of this species has been found in the past 30 years. Five years ago, some villagers reported that there were large leopards in the local forest, but there was not enough evidence to confirm that it was a South China leopard.
The South China leopard, also known as the Indochinese leopard, is a subspecies of leopard. As a national first-class protected animal, it was once widely distributed in the provinces and regions south of the Yellow River, and now there are only a few in Yunnan, Guizhou and Qinling in China.
<h1>01 The surface of the tongue has many small inverted spines, and there are 5 rows of oblique whiskers above the side of the mouth, which is majestic</h1>
Most of the body of the South China leopard is covered with yellow fur, the coat color is bright, the back of the body is apricot yellow, the whole body is covered with black spots, the spots on the head are small and dense, and the spots on the back are dense and large. The underside of the neck , thorax , abdomen , and limbs are white ; the back of the ears is black with a prominent white patch and a black caudal tip.
Although the skin color of the South China leopard is not very similar to the skin color of the tiger, the short limbs of the South China leopard and the appearance when walking and lying down are actually very similar to the king of the forest.
The South China leopard resembles a tiger in form, but it is only 1/3 of the size of a tiger, with a body length of 130-175 cm, a tail length of about 100 cm, and a weight of 45-110 kg.
The guy's head was small and round, with muscular limbs and sharp canine teeth; short ears, yellow tips, and small black spots around the forehead, between and under the eyes, and on the cheeks.
The most frightening thing is that the surface of the tongue has many keratinized inverted spines; the side of the mouth has 5 rows of oblique whiskers, which are majestic; the iris is yellow, and the pupils are round under strong light, and in the dark night they emit a flickering light.
<h1>02 is good at climbing trees and can swim, relying on ambushes do not like to chase, can catch half the weight of the prey into the tree</h1>
South China leopard is fierce, agile, physically strong, good at jumping and climbing, generally living alone, often wandering back and forth in the forest. The South China leopard is a nocturnal animal, it hides in its habitat during the day and sleeps, and comes out at night, especially in the early morning and evening, it is more active, as if it has taken a stimulant.
The Hunting Ability of the South China Leopard depends mainly on its keen hearing and highly developed vision, and it can detect subtle movements at great distances and thus become alert.
Although the South China leopard is not large and not as strong as a tiger, it can hunt large and medium-sized herbivores such as deer and wild boar. However, the south China leopard's personality is very cautious, it does not like to chase, it will not fight with its strong strength, more often or rely on ambushes.
The South China leopard is very intelligent, likes to lurk in the grass, hide in the woods to ambush passing animals, sometimes sneaking behind the herbivores, using the cover of the surrounding environment, quietly approaching them, and then suddenly jumping out to capture them.
They don't seem to like water very much, preferring to lie on trees rather than stay in the water. The South China leopard often hides in the trees to wait, on the one hand, it can find prey from a commanding height, on the other hand, the smell will also drift with the wind, and it is not easy to be found by the prey. Wait for sambar deer, antelope, bison, and wild boar to pass by, and fly down like lightning, biting the neck of the prey and suffocating it.
Not only that, the South China leopard also likes to catch its prey in its mouth, and then sneak to a very high tree and hide the prey between the forks of the tree, so that it is not easy to decay, and it is not easy to be eaten by other animals. When you are hungry, climb up the tree and enjoy it beautifully. Its power is staggering, and it can catch a prey half its own weight into a tree.
In the face of humans, if it is not particularly hungry, the South China leopard may run away from humans. But when people encounter the South China leopard turning around and running away, the South China leopard will not hesitate to pursue. The South China leopard, which travels at 70 kilometers per hour, will chase you into doubts about life.
<h1>03 Not only preys on hundreds of kilograms of wild boar, but also eats dozens of grams of rats, the favorite is still less than 50 kilograms of ungulates</h1>
The environmental adaptability of the South China leopard is very strong, the forest is the most ideal place for them to live, and there will be resident South China leopards in shrubland or wetlands, and even in arid desert areas. They can go up trees when there are trees, and they can also inhabit caves when there are no trees.
The South China leopard also has a very extensive diet, preying on deer, wild boars weighing hundreds of kilograms, and can also prey on dozens of grams of rats; but their main prey is ungulates under 50 kilograms.
In addition to hunting large herbivores such as antelopes, gazelles, bison, wild boars, deer, roe deer, etc., it also preys on small and medium-sized animals such as birds, hares, rats, pangolins, etc., and sometimes attacks monkeys jumping up and down in the forest.
When the claws of the South China leopard are quietly extended to them, these unlucky eggs may not know that they are going to become the mouth food of the South China leopard.
Of course, the South China leopard, like other species of leopards, sometimes attacks farmhouses, livestock, poultry and so on. When food is scarce, it will also wander tens of kilometers to forage for food, and it is not afraid of hardship.
<h1>04 Male leopard and female leopard have several partners at the same time, and now face close relatives "marriage" or can not find a "mate"</h1>
The South China leopard is more flowery, and both male and female leopards have more than one mate. But now, the South China leopard faces the embarrassment of close relatives "getting married" or not being able to find a "mate".
During estrus, the female leopard is more active, releasing information through urine to attract male leopards. When the male leopard is attracted by its beauty, the female leopard will walk back and forth in front of it, and also take the initiative to rub the male leopard's body with her own side and tail. The female's initiative to hold the male is still very rare in the animal kingdom.
During mating, the male leopard bites the neck of the female leopard, in fact, it is not really biting the teeth, but giving the female leopard a massage. Each mating lasts an average of about 3 seconds, and the interval between matings is about 6 minutes, and at this frequency, mating lasts for 2-3 days. The male then sneaks away without saying hello, leaving the female leopard to bear offspring alone.
The female leopard is about 90-105 days pregnant, and the newborn baby leopard weighs less than 1 kg, at which time the eyes are closed and cannot be opened until a week later. At this time, the cubs are very vulnerable to attacks by animals such as lions, hyenas and baboons, and the female leopard will hide the cubs in extremely hidden places when going out hunting, and move their nests from time to time.
Leopard cubs can move with their mothers at one and a half months, weaned at 3-4 months, and left the female leopard to move independently at 1 to 1 and a half years old. Female leopards establish their own territory on the edge of their mother's territory, and males go to relatively distant places to establish larger territories.
<h1>05 The Mystery of Life: Is there only one South China leopard or three subspecies in South China? </h1>
At present, it is recognized that the leopard in the northeast region belongs to the northeast leopard, and the leopard in the north China region belongs to the north China leopard. However, there has always been widespread controversy over the differentiation of leopard subspecies in South China, mainly involving two subspecies, namely the South China leopard and the Indian leopard.
According to the opinions of genetic taxonomy classification, there are actually three subspecies of leopards in southern China:
North China leopards are distributed in most parts of China, from Beijing to Guangdong, and have appeared in many places in recent years.
Indian leopards are mainly in the Indian subcontinent, entering China from the southern foothills of the Himalayas, including southern Tibet, Yunnan and western Sichuan. A few years ago, two baby leopards were photographed in Giron County, in the Shigatse region, but no other places have been found.
The South China leopard includes the Indochina Peninsula and eastern Yunnan, Guizhou and Guangxi in China. At present, it is impossible to estimate the distribution and population status of the South China leopard in China, but an infrared camera in the border area between China and Laos has captured a male Indochinese leopard walking by, and it is rare to see this beautiful big cat now, and it is a miracle that this time it appears in the White Horse Snow Mountain.
However, it is important to note that this division is not supported by direct evidence. Although this division is widely circulated and widely used abroad because of its support from the IUCN, evidence is needed to confirm it.
Many animal experts in China disagree with this view, arguing that there is only one subspecies in the entire south china region, at least most of it, the South China leopard.
This classification opinion is widely circulated in China, mainly due to the citation in the "Zoology of China": the South China leopard is distributed in Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Chongqing, Tibet, Qinghai, Hunan, Guangxi, Guangdong, Hubei, Anhui, Fujian, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, southern Shaanxi and south-central Henan. The North China leopard is found in Hebei, Beijing, Shanxi, northern and northwestern Shaanxi, Ningxia and Gansu, and may also be found in northern Henan, central Inner Mongolia and northern Sichuan. The Far Eastern leopard is found in Heilongjiang, Jilin and eastern Inner Mongolia.
The reason why the subspecies differentiation of the South China leopard is widely controversial is that on the one hand, the sample of the South China leopard is too small, and less than 20 specimens have been collected in the classical taxonomy system, and there are not even samples of the South China leopard in the genetic taxonomy system.
<h1>epilogue:</h1>
Due to severe hunting and habitat damage, leopard populations have become scarce, significantly reduced in their distribution in southern China, and the number has decreased year by year in recent years, and in some places where leopards were often found decades ago, it is now difficult to see the South China leopard and its traces of activity. It is already endangered, and without better protection measures, it can only watch the gradual extinction.
Map of the distribution of leopards in China
Xuelinggu Nature Lab/Production
References: Nature Magazine, Nature Magazine, Man and Nature Magazine, Life Science Network, China Forestry Network, Chinese Zoology