What is a leopard. Description of the leopard: where different populations live and live. Population status and protection of leopards

Leopard- one of the representatives of large cats. In total, there are 9 subspecies, these include both black and white leopards. Several species, like the Zanzibar (last seen in 1980) and the European (lived on our planet over 10,000 years ago) are considered officially extinct. But today we're going to talk about Far Eastern leopard, about where he lives, how he looks, what he eats.

Description of the Far Eastern leopard

body length Far Eastern (Amur, East Siberian) leopard 107-136 cm with a body weight of 32-48 kg (in rare cases, the weight reaches 75 kg), and the tail grows in length 82-90 cm, shoulder height up to 78 cm. The leopard's skull is compressed quite strongly in the interorbital region. And the life expectancy of such a predator is an average of 20 years.

Leopard fur is 30-50 mm long on the back and up to 70 mm on the belly. In summer, the color is darker (varies from golden to cream), while in winter it is clarified on the sides, the belly and limbs are white. And, of course, there are peculiar black spots all over the body, which is typical for all leopards.

HABITAT, INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT FAR EASTERN LEOPARDS

Habitat of the Far Eastern leopard

Such cats live in a small area of ​​the territory of three states - China, North Korea and Russia. According to 2014 data, there are about 50-60 leopards, although a century ago they occupied the entire Korean Peninsula, Primorye and even areas in northern China, and now they are one of the rare individuals. Of course, active measures are being taken to preserve the Far Eastern leopards.

These predators choose their homes in the subtropical, tropical steppes, savannahs, deserts, to the borders of various settlements. But the most basic thing for snow leopards is shelter and a sufficient number of animals that you can profit from.

What does a leopard eat

As you know, the leopard is a predator, therefore it feeds on animals. And since these creatures live almost alone, hunting is much more difficult for ungulates. Leopard in the forests and mountains eats roe deer, deer, elk, mountain goats, wild boars, mouflons, tars, cabergs, jeinars. In the deserts eats antelopes, giraffes (their babies), camels (calves), zebras, impalas. But the predator is not limited to large animals, the diet also includes small game - hares, porcupines, foxes, badgers, martens, mice, other rodents, monkeys. As well as birds like pheasant, snowcock, keklik, black grouse, and reptiles like lizards and snakes, including insects.

Of course, from hunger leopard can attack another predator, cubs, and eat crabs and fish. Well, leopards living close to people hunt livestock - goats, sheep, horses, cows, pigs, donkeys, poultry, including, can easily attack a person. He needs about 20 kg of meat per day, and he eats his large prey in 3-4 days, and after that he goes hunting again. Leopards they drink a lot of water, so they try to be close to water bodies, although they drink at night. And they eat grass when it is necessary to cleanse the intestines, but this is done by many animals.

Interesting facts about the Far Eastern leopard

Female leopards keep babies with them for a long time, especially males, in order to give birth less

· Males do not touch mothers who are busy raising cubs

The tail of a leopard reaches a length of 110 cm

The Far Eastern leopard is called the Manchurian and Korean leopard

The Far Eastern leopard is not the largest species among its kind

Difference from other individuals in softer and longer fur

Leopard fur is lighter in winter than in summer

The peak distribution of the Far Eastern leopard falls on the 20th century

VIDEO: DELNEVOSTOCHNY LEOPARD

IN THIS VIDEO YOU CAN LEARN A LOT OF INTERESTING ABOUT THE FAR EASTERN LEOPARD IN THE DOCUMENTARY

The leopard is a typical large representative of an extensive cat family. The beast is unusually beautiful, however, this beauty is somehow unkind, disturbing. On a sparkling golden background, large black spots and rings are randomly scattered. On the sides and outer side of the legs, the general background of coloration is lighter than on the back. It is white on the belly and inside of the legs. The winter fur of a leopard living in the Amur-Ussuri region is soft and rather lush. In summer it is shorter, rarer and coarser, but the pattern remains the same - beautiful and bright. In warm regions, of course, a leopard does not need winter fur.

Occasionally there are black leopards. They are most often called the black panther. However, they are melanists: the same leopards, but dressed in a skin of a different color. In very bright light and on a black panther, spotting can be seen, however, with difficulty.

Scientists in zoos have found that when spotted leopards are crossed with black ones, kittens of both types of color are born in approximately equal proportions, and black parents give mostly black offspring.

Black panthers live throughout the vast range of the leopard, but are rare in the Amur-Ussuri Territory. They are most often found in Southeast Asia, especially in Java.

The leopard has a graceful, light and flexible figure, a rounded head, a long tail, and slender legs. And he is all graceful - and when he stands or lies, and when he walks, and when he attacks. His gait is quiet, light, completely inaudible - majestic.

This beast is superbly armed. Its fangs and retractable claws are sharp as needles and deadly as daggers. With a burden in his teeth that exceeds his weight, he rushes through the forest quickly and naturally. It seems that the animal has a bag of tow in its mouth, and not a roe deer, spotted deer or gilt. And it’s almost unbelievable: with a roe deer in its teeth, a large leopard jumps to a height of two or three meters. Let's add: his running speed is 16 - 18 meters per second, and eight-ten-meter long jumps and four-meter high jumps are common for him, as well as artistic climbing on trees, even straight and smooth ones.

The lion and the tiger are relatives of the leopard, but the closest of them in origin, appearance and lifestyle is the jaguar, which lives in South and Central America. He is almost the same color, with dark spots on a yellow background, only a little larger and a little stockier in build. And the habits are the same. In a word, a brother to a leopard and a supercat of the New World.

Lion, tiger, leopard and jaguar - all in the same genus panther. They are so close that they give each other hybrid crosses. And if the feline family deservedly wears the laurels of the most specialized predatory animals, then the four representatives of the panther genus are nothing but the elite of the feline family.

WWF UK

The Amur, or Far Eastern, leopard is the rarest endangered subspecies. The Far Eastern leopard lives in mountain forest areas, where it clearly prefers black fir-cedar-broad-leaved forests in the middle and upper reaches of the rivers. Less willingly, it populates broad-leaved forests and especially pyrogenic oak forests, the areas of which increase as a result of annual fires. Its range, which previously covered Northeast China, the Korean Peninsula and the south of the Ussuri Territory, has now been reduced to a critically small size. The modern range of the Far Eastern leopard covers only a limited mountain forest area of ​​about 10-15 thousand square meters. km at the junction of three states of Russia, China, North Korea. The size of the individual territories of the Far Eastern leopard is small, approximately 5-8 thousand hectares, and the animals themselves are strictly territorial predators: each adult animal has its own territory, which does not overlap with the territories of individuals of the same sex.

The harsh conditions of the region with cold snowy winters and a limited food supply did not allow the Amur leopard to have a more or less significant number, and in recent decades, active human economic activity has steadily pushed it away from its original habitats and brought it to a very dangerous edge...

The remaining habitats of this elegant graceful cat are annually subjected to a largely detrimental effect of forest fires, the breed is dying and the food base is undermined. The poaching shooting of not only the main food objects of leopards - roe deer, spotted deer, raccoon dog, badger, hare, but also the leopard itself has not been stopped. And it is not difficult to get it: almost any pack of dogs can drive not only a young, but also an adult animal into a tree, and when hungry, it goes to any bait and falls into traps. This is what poachers use.

The only reserve where the Far Eastern leopard breeds is "Kedrovaya Pad", but it is so small - about 18 thousand hectares, that it does not play a significant role in the preservation of this wonderful cat - only one male lives here permanently, and usually breeds no more than two females. Almost every year, the reserve "releases" from two to four young leopards outside its borders, but the surroundings of the reserve are so mastered by humans and unsuitable for animals that they are doomed to death from a poacher's bullet or from starvation.

The last refuge of the leopard in the Ussuri Territory was a small area of ​​southwestern Primorye, about 200 kilometers long from the Razdolnaya River to Posyet Bay. But here, too, it lives only in a narrow, poorly developed mountainous zone of coniferous-deciduous and deciduous forests along the border with China.

Among all cats, the leopard is perhaps the most beautiful, most graceful, very strong and courageous, but at the same time very strong and courageous, but at the same time a very cautious animal. Bright motley coloring not only decorates, but also makes it invisible in the game of sunbeams in the forest jungle, in the variegation of tall grass and among the mosaic of fallen leaves. The leopard has a keen eye and sharp hearing, an excellent sense of smell. He is quick-witted and unhurried in a calm state, but lightning-fast in a jump, not hunting, and he can climb a tree with prey that exceeds his weight. Compared to the tiger, it is small. The female weighs up to 50, and the male - up to 70 kg.

The life of the Far Eastern leopard, which lives in the north of the range, takes place in extreme conditions. The land with cold and snowy winters, with frosts up to 30 degrees, it would seem, is not a place for tropical animals ... And yet the leopard lives here ... But lives with a density ten times lower than in the tropics: different nature, different prey, different behavior. In the summer, when the climate in the leopard's possessions approaches the tropical (abundant fogs, drizzle, showers, impassable thickets intertwined with lianas, the green fragrance of nature - then his food is varied and warm clothes are not needed), the coat barely reaches 2.5 cm. But in autumn, with the onset of cold weather, the leopard dresses in a fluffy fur coat with thick and long (from 5 cm on the back to 7 cm on the belly) fur. Especially fluffy young kittens, which in nature are very reminiscent of a snow leopard. Perhaps that is why the locals call the leopard exactly like this: "leopard".

What is known about the Far Eastern leopard? The material on the measurements of cats is small - scientists were lucky to take measurements of about a dozen spotted panthers. Their upper limits show that the length of males reaches 136 cm, females - 112, tails, respectively, up to 90 and 73 cm, weight up to 53 or, possibly, up to 60 kilograms.

And further ... The eyes are yellow, the pupil is vertically oval, becoming round in the dark, the claws are dark chocolate with white ends, very mobile and retractable into a special "sheath" so as not to blunt them when walking. She changes her fur coat twice a year, in autumn - for a warm winter one and in spring - for a cool summer one. Polygamous, that is, one male can care for several females. Mating games (rut), and, accordingly, the appearance of cubs can be at any time of the year (in this the leopard remained faithful to the heritage of tropical origin), but usually the wedding takes place in January. After that, after 92-95 days, the female gives birth to four kittens weighing 400-600 grams, blind and only 15-17 cm in size. But more often there are only two kittens. They begin to see clearly on the 7-9th day. From the den, the babies begin to leave at the age of a month with a little, and at two - to join the game - the mother feeds them with a burp of half-digested meat. Three-month-old kittens acquire the color of adults: black spots on their fluffy fur coat turn into rosettes. At the age of about a year, they part with their mother and become independent, and in the second or third year they themselves acquire a "family". In the zoo they live up to 20 years with a little, in nature - much less. These are the main data published in reference books on the Far Eastern leopard, which provide observations made mainly in zoos. V. Korkishko and D. Pikunov have been studying the life of a leopard for more than 10 years; they have prepared a monograph on the ecology of this cat, which, of course, will reveal many little-known aspects of the animal's life. In particular, they identified about 20 different animals that serve as food for the leopard, including the wild boar, musk deer, fox, weasel, squirrel, hedgehog, hazel grouse, pheasant and others not mentioned above.

Most of the animals that the leopard feeds on are objects of commercial and amateur hunting and, of course, are taken by poachers. In addition, after the installation of protective structures on the border with China in the autumn-winter period, the influx of roe deer migrating from the Black Mountains, which previously regularly filled empty niches in coastal areas, almost stopped. Over the past 10 years, the number of roe deer even in the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve has fallen by more than 10 times. If earlier passing herds from 20-30 to 70 heads were observed, then at present there are none at all.

It became difficult for a leopard to feed, especially in winter, when badgers and raccoon dogs go into holes for a long time, and young ungulates are few in number, and, moreover, they grow up and become more cautious. Other small prey do not have a large number to be sufficient to feed the leopard. The sika deer is a good target for the panther, but it keeps in herds and is sporadically distributed and therefore accessible only to a part of the leopards. In addition, a certain competition in deer hunting arises between the leopard and the tiger, especially in places with a small number of deer.

And yet, despite the difficulties that arise with the extraction of food, unprovoked attacks on humans have not been noted in the Far Eastern leopard. He is not afraid of a person, but in relation to him he is very cautious, and sometimes quite curious. Sometimes, like a tiger, he walks on the heels of a person, watches all his actions, undoubtedly hoping to profit from the remnants of his hunt, but with all this remains unnoticed. Very often he uses man-made paths and roads: they are easier to walk on and less noise is made when walking. It almost does not attack livestock, with the exception of deer in deer parks, and rarely specifically hunts dogs.

If in the tropics, in places where leopards are common, you can easily watch them almost point-blank from a car, then the Far Eastern leopard lives so secretly and in inaccessible places that it is very difficult to see it even from a distance. And this is where the forest, which has shed its leaves for more than half a year, stands completely transparent and the grass clings to the ground, where snow lies for almost 4 months, at least in shady places ... In winter, their tracks left in the snow tell in great detail about the life of leopards, but in the summer the leopard is lost in the tall grass and bushes, and its life is revealed in separate fragments: footprints left on the dirt of the paths, scratches - marks along the paths, on terraces and ridges, and paw prints on sandy spits by the river. It is rare that a leopard will give itself away with a roar.

The leopard can eat frozen meat and animal carcasses. Reindeer farms play a special role in the life of leopards. On the one hand, they provide leopards with unlimited and easily accessible prey, on the other hand, farm owners do everything to destroy the predator. Leopards are very conservative. For many years they live on the same sites, use permanent paths, crossings and brood dens. At the same time, they absolutely cannot stand the prolonged presence of a person in such places, and even more so any economic activity (the construction of hunting huts, roads, etc.) and always leave them when it appears. The anxiety factor for this hidden beast is very significant. The leopard does not pose a danger directly to humans. Over the past 50 years, not a single case of an unprovoked attack by a leopard on a person has been recorded. Having excellent hearing and vision, the leopard is the first to detect people and carefully leaves (even from prey), remaining unnoticed. Only some young leopards, out of curiosity, can follow the trail of a person, but they never show signs of aggression.

Taxonomic position:
Class Mammals - Mammalia, Order Carnivora - Carnivora, Cat Family - Felidae, Species - Pantera pardus, Subspecies - Pantera pardus orientalis Schlegel.

States in whose territory the Far Eastern leopard is found:
The number of the entire world population of the Far Eastern leopard is not about 40 individuals, and most of them live in Russia in the Primorsky Territory - 30 individuals, and less than 10 individuals in the provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang in China. In South Korea, the last encounter with a leopard was recorded in 1969.

Western Asian leopard - Panthera pardus tulliana. Extremely small, endangered, on the territory of Russia, perhaps already extinct subspecies. Listed in the IUCN Red List. Body length 90 - 170 cm. Tail up to 100 cm. Body weight - 2 - 80 kg. Excellent dart frog and rock climber, but does not like water. Distributed in the regions of the Greater Caucasus and Transcaucasia, those regions that are involved in hostilities. The main sources that were used in compiling this story about LEOPARDS:

Young naturalist 1992 - 2
Young naturalist 1980 - 4
Newspaper "Bird Market" 1996
WWF Russia website -

Leopards live in different parts of the Earth. Their area of ​​​​residence is wider than the range of any other member of the cat family, except for the domestic cat. They live in tropical, subtropical and mixed forests, on mountain slopes and plains, in savannahs, as well as in thickets along river banks. Very often leopards settle near settlements.

Leopard habitats

The habitat of leopards is located in Asia and Africa. On the African continent, these animals are found from the Cape of Good Hope to the semi-deserts of Morocco. They do not live in this territory only in the Sahara and Namib deserts, where there is no access to fresh water. In Asia, the leopard lives in the southern part of Western Asia and in the southern half of East Asia.

Anterior Asian subspecies leopards live in the territories of the following countries: Iran, Turkmenistan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Russian Federation (North Caucasus and Karabakh). The terrain in which they live is: subalpine meadows, leafy forests or bushes.

Lives in the Arabian Peninsula. Once this subspecies was quite prosperous and found throughout the Middle East, today this subspecies is on the verge of extinction. The number of subspecies ranges from 200 to 250 individuals.

Indian leopard lives in Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Burma, northern India and southern China. Lives in tropical, deciduous and in the north in coniferous forests, also lives in mountainous areas at an altitude of up to 2500 meters above sea level.

Far Eastern leopards found in mountainous and forest areas in Russia, North Korea and China. The area on which this subspecies lives is only 10,000-15,000 km². There are only about 50 of them in the wild.

north chinese leopard lives in northern China in forests and mountains.

ceylon leopard lives throughout the island of Sri Lanka, it is considered the largest predator on the island.

Javan leopard lives on the island of Java. But due to the overpopulation of the island, the food base of the animal is being reduced, as a result of which the subspecies of the Javan leopard disappears. In total, today there are about 250 individuals of the Javan leopard.

The leopard is a colorful, graceful, incredibly majestic and cunning feline animal.
This cat is fast and very cautious, with a strong, muscular and strong body. Her eyesight is excellent. The leopard sees perfectly at any time of the day. The claws and teeth of the animal are strikingly sharp.
Modern leopards appeared in Africa approximately 470,000–825,000 years ago (various paleontological datings based on fossil remains are used). The predecessor of the modern leopard most likely disappeared during mass extinctions everywhere except Africa. Then the modern leopard spread already from the African continent.

Asiatic leopards appear to be much younger and evolved 170,000-300,000 years ago as a result of migration from Africa to Central Asia, then further east and south, modern Indian territories, the island of Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia and beyond to the north, the territories of the northern part of China, Korea and the Russian Far East.

Leopard habitat

Leopard is one of the representatives of large cats. The body of the animal is elongated, flexible, slender and strong. The length of the body varies from 91 to 180-190 cm. The height at the shoulders is 45-80 cm. The leopard weighs from 15 to 75 kg (depending on the subspecies and sex of the animal), rarely reaching 100 kg or more. Males are 1.5-2 times larger than females.

Head the leopard is round, relatively small, with a noticeably convex forehead, sloping crown and moderately blunt muzzle. The ears are short, triangular, rounded, without tassels. The eyes of a leopard are small, the pupils are round. The animal has well developed vision and hearing, but the sense of smell is weak. The fangs of the predator are relatively thin at the base, but high and sharp. The tail is long - 75-110 cm and is at least 2/3 of the body.

Legs snow leopards are slender, relatively short and very strong. There are soft pads on the paws. The claws of the leopard are hidden. He releases them outside only when it is time to grab prey or need to climb a tree.

Wool the leopard is rough, not long - about 25-30 mm on the back, shorter on the tail. The fur of leopards living in tropical countries is brightly colored, but not fluffy. In Far Eastern leopards, it is fluffy and denser in winter. The body, legs, head and tail of the animal are covered with clearly defined spots. They can be solid or in the form of rings. On the abdomen and paws of the animal, the spots are larger, on the head are smaller. On the back they are collected in sockets. The largest leopard spots do not exceed 5 cm in length. In some cases, in the back region of the back or on the sides, they merge into stripes, and on the tail they form transverse rings.

The spotted pattern stands out against the yellowish or reddish color of the leopard coat, the shades of which depend on the habitat of the mammal: from yellow-brown to light yellow.

The pattern of spots is unique to each individual animal and thus can be used to identify individual individuals, similar to human fingerprints. This feature is sometimes used by researchers to identify individuals in the wild that are being monitored.

Due to their coloration, leopards are well camouflaged, clinging to the ground or hiding in the branches of trees. It is difficult to see them in the grass no more than 50 cm high, even being a few tens of meters from them.

Young individuals are somewhat lighter than old ones. Their general tone is grayish-yellow or off-white. The summer fur of the leopard is rarer, shorter and lighter than the winter one. By the way, leopards are characterized by different lengths of yellowish and black hair. The black hairs that make up the spots are longer and thinner than the yellow ones. The degree of spotting and the shape of the spots may vary. Black color may acquire a brownish tint.

To communicate with other individuals, leopards use visual communication, namely: white spots that are on the ears and at the tip of the tail. For example, by exposing these spots, females convey a message to their cubs while hunting or while in tall grass.

Black leopards

found in Southeast Asia melanistic leopards who are called (from the Greek pánther). The skin of the black panther is not completely black, it always shows visible spots to a greater or lesser extent. Dark fur perfectly camouflages them in dense forest thickets. They are especially frequent in Java. The recessive gene responsible for melanism is much more common in leopard populations living in forested and mountainous areas, as well as in leopards from tropical Asia. On the Malay Peninsula, almost half of all leopards are black; elsewhere, the prevalence of melanism is much lower.

black leopard

Black individuals can be born in the same brood with normally colored cubs. Usually panthers are more aggressive than other leopards.

Leopard lifestyle

Leopards lead a solitary lifestyle. Their usual day: sleep, hunting and unhurried walks around their site. Leopards hunt mainly at night. Females that have kittens can go hunting at any time of the day.

Thanks to soft pads, the leopard is able to sneak up on prey so quietly that not a single leaf rustles, not a single branch crunches. As a rule, he preys on medium-sized animals, which he overtakes with a powerful jump (up to 5-6 m).

Leopards adapt well to live in any terrain, be it mountains, rainforests, plains, savannahs or semi-deserts. The territory of one leopard can range from 10 to 400 km². In females and males, territorial areas may coincide, but if a representative of the same sex enters the territory, a fierce fight necessarily arises between rivals, sometimes with a fatal outcome.

When communicating with their relatives, leopards make various sounds. It can be a growl or roar, snort, purr, purr.

The voice of the leopard is so loud that it can be heard in the mountains for several kilometers. The growl of a leopard resembles the sound of a saw biting into a tree. So the mother calls the cubs to her, and the females call the males during estrus. When establishing contact with other individuals and marking the boundaries of its territory, the leopard emits a raspy growl. The frequent cry of males during the rut is similar to a sharp cough, turning into sighs. But, in general, the leopard rarely makes sounds and is silent, even when in a trap.

Leopard breeding

Leopards do not have a specific breeding season; mating can occur at any time of the year. Pregnancy of the female lasts from 93 to 103 days, then babies are born. Leopard cubs are born blind and only after 8-10 days they open their eyes. Most often, 1-2 babies are born in one litter, less often 3. Of the entire litter, often only one kitten survives.

The first three months the cubs spend in the den, and then they leave it together with their mother. From time to time, the mother changes the shelter of her kittens so that predators do not find them. Leaving them in the next shelter, the mother goes hunting.

Only after six months, kittens can follow their mother everywhere. The mother brings up her offspring for about two years. Young leopards at this age leave their nurse and become independent.

Young animals reach sexual maturity at about 2.5 years.

Life activity and habitat

Most of the leopards live in Africa, where even hunting for them is allowed. But in China, India and Russia, the population of leopards is very small, some species are even listed in the Red Book.

Nature endowed the leopard with sharp eyesight, so he hunts at night. Its diet is ungulates, rodents, monkeys, hares, sometimes a leopard can bite a snake or a frog. The leopard loves to eat fish, which he catches with his paw, like a bear. The leopard jumps up to 10 meters in length.

The leopard has practically no enemies, it can grapple with a tiger or a lion, coming out victorious in this duel due to its dexterity and speed. The leopard is a solitary animal that marks its boundaries and fiercely defends them. He leaves his prey in the trees so that other predators do not get to it.

The leopard is the best hunter in nature, it helps to control the population of monkeys by preying on old or sick individuals. But every year these hunters become less and less. This is due to the intrusion of people into their habitat. Some species of leopards have already died out or are listed in the Red Book.

Territorial and social behavior

The leopard is a solitary animal, leading a predominantly nocturnal lifestyle. These animals can easily adapt to any living conditions. They can live both in forests and mountains, and in deserts. The areas of their individual habitat can vary from 8 to more than 400 square kilometers - it all depends on the terrain and the availability of food for the animal. The modest size of the leopard does not prevent him from successfully hunting large prey - their victims can sometimes weigh up to 900 kilograms.

Leopards have unique tree climbing skills. They can climb them for the purpose of recreation or for the purpose of hunting monkeys. But more often, nevertheless, leopards are engaged in ground hunting. As a rule, a predator very quietly and carefully approaches its prey at a distance of one jump, and then pounces on its prey and strangles. If the jump was unsuccessful, the animal does not pursue the victim. Sometimes a leopard can deliberately approach its prey noisily, and then hide. In this case, the victim of the hunt was confused, not understanding from which side to expect an attack. Often the leopard raises the remains of its victims high up on a tree in order to save them from jackals and hyenas.

Leopard food

The diet of the snow leopard is usually made up of ungulates - antelopes and deer, as well as roe deer. Sometimes a predator can feed on rodents and monkeys, as well as birds and snakes. May also attack sheep and horses. Leopards often suffer domestic dogs, as well as wild foxes and wolves. A leopard, for lack of food, can steal prey from other leopards. As for people, leopards attack them infrequently - for this you need to disturb the animal. However, the leopard always attacks if he is injured - in this case, the consequences can be the saddest.

As a rule, snow leopards do not hunt collectively, preferring to hunt alone. The predator sneaks up on the prey or waits for it somewhere in ambush.

Leopard subspecies

The leopard is one of the most widespread wild cats on the planet. It used to be that the leopard species contained 27 subspecies. This was based on the difference in colors and spots. But recent studies of their DNA have proven that there are far fewer of them:

• African leopard (Africa)
• Barbary leopard
• Indochinese leopard (Indochina)
• Javan leopard (Java)
• Indian leopard (India, Southeast Pakistan, Nepal)
• Ceylon leopard (Ceylon)
• North Chinese leopard (China)
• Amur leopard (Russian Far East, North China, Korea)
• Persian leopard (Anterior Asia, Caucasus)
• sinai leopard
• Persian leopard
• Anatolian leopard (combined with Persian, since the last mention of it was in 1974)
• South Arabian leopard (Arabian Peninsula)
• European

At the same time, only one subspecies is still relatively safe - African. All the rest are more or less at risk, and some are already on the verge of extinction.

Leopard hybrids

Among leopards there are hybrids - such as leopon. Leopon is a hybrid resulting from crossing a male leopard with a female lion. The existence of the leopon was first officially confirmed in Kolhapur in India at the beginning of the 20th century. Later, they began to be deliberately bred in zoos in Germany, Japan and Italy.

Leopard hybrids cannot bear offspring. The appearance of the leopon is also quite interesting. Its head is shaped more like a lion's. All other parts of the body of the hybrid are more similar to the body of a leopard. The sizes of hybrids are usually somewhere between a lion and a leopard. Male hybrids sometimes have a lion-like mane that can be up to 20 cm long. The color of leopons is distinguished by brown or black spots, and their tail is decorated with a lion's tassel at the end.

Another leopard hybrid is jagopard- he appeared after crossing a male jaguar and a female leopard.

Leopard protection

Leopard populations are inexorably declining. The reasons for the extinction of the species are the destruction of the natural habitats of predators, as well as the disappearance of food for animals. There are statistics that indicate that at the time of 2007 there were only 25 to 34 Far Eastern leopards.

A few years ago, the main problem of the disappearance of snow leopards was their shooting in order to take possession of a valuable skin. However, now the reasons for their capture have changed somewhat. With the development of oriental medicine, the shooting of leopards by poachers is carried out in order to use them for the needs of medicine. Five species of leopards are included in the Red Book, including the Far Eastern leopard. They are also included in the Red Book of Russia.

Leopard hunting

The leopard, or leopard, has always been a very significant trophy for hunters. They hunted predators exclusively within their habitats. Among hunters, there is the concept of the "big five", which includes such dangerous animals as elephant, rhinoceros, lion, African buffalo and African leopard. Any of these animals is a valuable prey and a luxurious trophy for a hunter.

If we talk about hunting for leopards in the period from the 19th to the 20th, we can conclude that in the countries of Africa and Asia this type of hunting was completely random and uncontrolled. It was this factor that became decisive in the issue of the disappearance of such a rare predator in most of its habitats.

In many parts of Asia, poachers hunting snow leopards are still found today, although this type of hunting is legally prohibited throughout the country.

Unfortunately, the demand for beautiful and valuable leopard skins is still high on the black market, and animal organs are actively used in traditional medicine recipes. Some countries of the African continent allocate a certain quota for shooting snow leopards - this is due to their high numbers on the territory of some countries. It will be interesting to know that the cost of a leopard can reach values ​​​​from 4,000 to 12,000 dollars.

The standard leopard hunting scheme is the use of bait in the form of an animal carcass of interest to a predator (it can be a monkey or a roe deer). It is necessary to use fresh carcasses, because the leopard, like all other members of his family, will not come to the smell of carrion.

Usually hunters find a lonely growing tree, which is often visited by a leopard. The carcass of the bait is tied to the lower branch of the tree so that it is clearly visible against the sky. The leopard goes to the smell of the victim already at dusk, accompanying his arrival with a roar. Such a roar is similar to a cough or the sound of a saw - the hunter will not confuse it with anything. Then the hunter has to act very quickly - the shot is fired at close range. When the leopard is wounded, it is most aggressive and dangerous to a person, trying to attack him instead of running. Often the leopard only pretends to be killed - as soon as the hunter comes closer, he rushes at him.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the fashion for leopard skins reached its zenith, making this animal its victim. Most of the stars of that time loved to flaunt in a leopard skin coat, and were also photographed for magazine covers in this form. All this led to a significant reduction in the number of snow leopards on earth. Over the six years of the 60s, the European fur market was replenished with more than 250,000 leopard skins.

• Leopard and panther are the names of the same animal.
• Leopards are very strong. They can lift a victim heavier than themselves into the crown of a tree.
• Panthers descend from tree trunks upside down.
• Black panthers also have spots on their fur, but they are difficult to see.
• The favorite food of young leopards is baboons.
• Each individual has a unique motley pattern by which they can be recognized.

Leopard, Panther (Panthera Pardus) is a species of mammals from the cat family. The fourth largest cat in the world (after the tiger, lion and jaguar). Leopards live in Africa and Asia. These animals live mainly in dense, moist forests, preferring to stay close to water.

The leopard is an animal that is distinguished by its graceful and flexible body, long tail and paws with large claws. The leopard has a very beautiful spotted color, which makes it attractive. The main color of the coat is considered to be a red hue, which gradually turns into white, on the underside of the body, where the leopard has a stomach.

But among animals there are such breeds that are distinguished by increased pigment in the wool, then the animals are distinguished by their dark color, on which spots are practically not visible. Such leopards are called panthers. The wool of such animals is distinguished by its density and shortness. Their wool is very valuable and is used as a finishing material.

Panthers are much smaller and lighter than lions or tigers, allowing them to climb trees perfectly. They spend a lot of time there, sleeping and resting lounging in the branches. Often they drag prey into the trees when they hunt, so that hyenas and vultures do not interfere with them.

Leopard is the most mysterious cat

Leopards are the most mysterious of all the big cats. These animals are so careful and vigilant that even in reserves it is difficult to track their mode of life.

The color of the fur of these predators helps to hide in the foliage of trees, grass and makes leopards almost invisible. There are also black individuals.

The black color of panthers is a manifestation of melanism caused by a gene mutation and is characteristic only for females, with rare exceptions. The black coat is not perfectly black, it always shows visible spots to a greater or lesser extent.

Leopard and jaguar - comparison

The leopard is often confused with the jaguar. , unlike leopard cats is very muscular, although they are similar in appearance. In fact, the leopard has a stronger structure. He has longer and slender legs, thin chest. A jaguar can be distinguished from a leopard by the black spot in the center of the rosette on the skin. Leopards and jaguars in the wild live in different areas.

Leopard and jaguar - comparison.

A leopard, like a cat, leads a solitary lifestyle. Often, how the leopard moves is not even audible, as he does it on his soft paws. This animal loves to camouflage among the grass and trees to madness. And he does it well due to his spotted color. Leopards go hunting only at dusk, and sit in a shelter all day. But if the leopard sees prey in front of him, then he can go hunting in the daytime.

The leopard is the great hunter of the terrestrial fauna.

The diet of the leopard consists of ungulates, namely antelope, roe deer, gazelles and wild pigs. There are also areas where leopards feed on monkeys, reptiles and rodents. If they have nothing to eat, then they can attack birds, but this happens extremely rarely. Animals disdain carrion and eat it only in the most extreme cases.

The leopard lies in wait for prey in a shelter, stealthily creeps up to a close distance to it and pounces on it with large jumps.

Listen to the voice of the leopard

• Leopard and panther are the names of the same animal.
• Leopards are very strong. They can lift a victim heavier than themselves into the crown of a tree.
• Panthers descend from tree trunks upside down.
• Black panthers also have spots on their fur, but they are difficult to see.
• The favorite food of young leopards is baboons.
• Each individual has a unique motley pattern by which they can be recognized.
• The black panther is more aggressive than other leopards.
• Leopards can jump up to 7 meters.
• Different types of leopards can vary greatly in size and color.

The tree is the leopard's favorite resting place.

Leopard size:

• Body length from 100 to 150 cm (record 190 cm)
• Height from 60 to 80 cm
• Weight: 60-80 kg (for females) and 70-90 kg (for males)
• Tail length up to 110 cm
• Life expectancy in the wild is 12 years (record 17 years), in captivity 25 years.

Leopard breeding

"Wild cat" is resting on a tree.

Leopards breed regardless of the season, with the exception of animals that live in the north.

Pregnancy in a female lasts three months, usually she bears three babies. For her cubs, the female leopard chooses a secluded place, most often in dense thickets.

The cubs are born completely blind, but they grow very quickly and very soon they leave their lair for a walk on their own, in order to explore the world. Young children stay with their mother for up to a year and a half, at which time she brings them wounded animals and teaches them how to hunt.

Adult leopards have almost no enemies, as they are hidden from other animals. The main opponents of leopards are hyenas, lions, tigers and wolves. All these animals can attack young leopards and take their prey from them. But still, it is extremely difficult to take prey from leopards, as they hide it in the trees.

While hunting, a leopard can get hurt by a buffalo. But often, such situations occur either with young or inexperienced animals.

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