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Scientific name & Classification

Scientific name: Panthera pardus The Leopard is a medium-sized wildcat that is natively found in a variety of different habitats across sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia. A member of the "Big Cat" family, the Leopard is an agile and opportunistic hunter that has been able to exploit habitats unused by other large felines as it spends a great deal of its time high in the tree branches. There are seven different sub-species of Leopard which differ in their appearance and geographic location, with the African Leopard being the most common and widespread and the others being the rare Amur Leopard, the Anatolian Leopard, the Barbary Leopard, the Sinai Leopard, the South Arabian Leopard and the Zanzibar Leopard. Although the African Leopard populations are stable throughout much of their natural range, the story is different for the remaining sub-species that are often isolated and critically at risk (the Zanzibar Leopard is actually now thought to be extinct).

Animal Behaviour

Hunting and diet The leopard is a carnivore that prefers medium-sized prey with a body mass ranging from 10–40 kilograms (22–88 lb). A study noted that prey animals in this weight range tend to occur in dense habitat, form small herds and can be easily captured by the leopard; on the other hand, animals that prefer open areas and have developed significant anti-predator strategies are hardly preferred.[84] Prey as heavy as 150 kilograms (330 lb) (such as greater kudu and giraffe) may be hunted if larger carnivores such as lions or tigers are absent;[84][85] the largest prey killed by a leopard was reportedly a 900 kg (2,000 lb) male eland.[86] Leopards can feed on a broad variety of prey, mainly antelopes, deer and rodents; these include: cattle, chital, duiker, dung beetle, hartebeest, hyrax, impala, gazelle, muntjac, nyala, porcupine, primates, rat, reedbuck, springbok, sambar, squirrel, waterbuck, young zebras, warthog and wildebeest.[84][87][88] Females with cubs primarily target smaller prey. A study at Wolong Reserve in China demonstrated variation in the leopards' diet over time; over the course of seven years, the vegetative cover receded, and the animals opportunistically shifted from primarily consuming tufted deer to pursuing bamboo rats and other smaller prey.[89] A study estimated average daily consumption rates at 3.5 kg (7.7 lb) for males and 2.8 kg (6.2 lb) for females. A study of leopards in the southern Kalahari showed that water requirements are met by the bodily fluids of the prey, succulent plants and water bodies; they drink water every two to three days, and feed infrequently on moisture-rich plants such as gemsbok cucumbers. A few instances of cannibalism have been reported. The leopard depends mainly on its acute sense of hearing and vision for hunting. Hunting is primarily a nocturnal activity in most areas, though leopards in western African forests and Tsavo have been observed hunting by the day. It will stalk the prey and try to approach as close as possible (typically within 5 metres to the target, and finally pounce on it with its forepaws (unlike the lion, that pounces as the prey starts escaping) and kill it by suffocation. Small prey are killed with a bite on the back of the neck, while larger animals are held strongly by the throat and strangled. Small kills are eaten immediately, while larger carcasses are dragged over several hundred metres and safely cached to be consumed later on trees, in bushes or even caves. The way the kill is stored to be consumed later depends on the local topography and individual preferences; while trees are preferred in Kruger National Park, bushes are preferred in the plain terrain of the Kalahari. Kills are cached up to 2 kilometres (6,600 ft) apart. Although they are smaller than most other members of its genus, leopards are able to take large prey due to their massive skulls that facilitate powerful jaw muscles. Leopards are strong enough to drag carcasses heavier than themselves up trees; an individual was seen to haul a young giraffe, nearly 125 kg (276 lb), up 5.7 m into a tree. Enemies and competitors Leopards must compete for food and shelter with other large predators such as tigers, lions, cheetahs, spotted hyenas, striped hyenas, brown hyenas, up to five species of bear and both African and Asiatic wild dogs. These animals may steal the leopard's kill, devour its young or even kill adult leopards. Leopards co-exist alongside these other large predators by hunting for different types of prey and by avoiding areas frequented by them. Leopards may also retreat up a tree in the face of direct aggression from other large carnivores but leopards have been seen to either kill or prey on competitors such as black-backed jackal, caracal, African wild cat and the cubs of lions, cheetahs, hyenas, and wild dogs. Resource partitioning occurs where leopards share their range with tigers. Leopards tend to take smaller prey, usually less than 75 kg (165 lb), where tigers are present. In areas where the leopard is sympatric with the tiger, coexistence is reportedly not the general rule, with leopards being few where tigers are numerous.[97] The mean leopard density decreased significantly (from 9.76 to 2.07 animals per 100 km2) when the mean density of tigers increased (from 3.31 animals/100km2 to 5.81 animals/100km2) from 2004–5 to 2007–8 in the Rajaji National Park in India following the relocation of pastoralists out of the park.[98] There, the two species have high dietary overlap, and an increase in the tiger population resulted in a sharp decrease in the leopard population and a shift in the leopard diet to small prey (from 9% to 36%) and domestic prey (from 6.8% to 31.8%).[98] In the Primore region of the Russian Far East, Amur leopards were absent or very rarely encountered at places where Siberian tigers reside.[99] However, in the Chitwan National Park in Nepal, both species coexist because there is a large prey biomass, a large proportion of prey is of the smaller sizes, and dense vegetation exists.[100] Here leopards killed prey ranging from less than 25 kg (55 lb) to 100 kg (220 lb) in weight with most kills in the 25–50 kg (55–110 lb) range; tigers killed more prey in the 50–100 kg (110–220 lb) range.[100] There were also differences in the microhabitat preferences of the individual tiger and leopard followed over 5-month (December to April) period in this study - the tiger used roads and (except in February) forested areas more frequently, while the leopard used recently burned areas and open areas more frequently [101] Usually when a tiger began to kill baits at sites formerly frequented by leopards, the leopards would no longer come and kill there.[102] In the tropical forests of India's Nagarhole National Park, tigers selected prey weighing more than 176 kg (388 lb), whereas leopards selected prey in the 30–175 kg (66–386 lb) range.[103] In tropical forest they do not always avoid the larger cats by hunting at different times. With relatively abundant prey and differences in the size of prey selected, tigers and leopards seem to successfully coexist without competitive exclusion or inter-species dominance hierarchies that may be more common to the leopard's co-existence with the lion in savanna habitats. In areas with high tiger populations, such as in the central parts of India's Kanha National Park, leopards are not permanent residents, but transients. They were common near villages at the periphery of the park and outside the park. In some areas of Africa, troops of large baboon species (potential leopard prey themselves) will kill and sometimes eat leopard young if they discover them. Occasionally, Nile crocodiles may prey on leopards of any age. For example, one large adult leopard was grabbed and consumed by a large crocodile while attempting to hunt along a bank in Kruger National Park. Mugger crocodiles may also on rare occasions kill an adult leopard in India. Lions are occasionally successful in climbing trees and fetching leopard kills, but leopards are also known to kill or prey on cubs of lions. In the Kalahari desert, leopards frequently lose kills to the brown hyena, if the leopard is unable to move the kill into a tree. Single brown hyenas have been observed charging at and displacing male leopards from kills. Burmese pythons have been known to prey on leopards, with an adult cat having been recovered from the stomach of a 5.5 m (18 ft) specimen. Two cases of leopards killing cheetahs have been reported in 2014. Reproduction and life cycle Depending on the region, leopards may mate all year round. In Manchuria and Siberia, they mate during January and February. The estrous cycle lasts about 46 days and the female usually is in heat for 6–7 days. Gestation lasts for 90 to 105 days. Cubs are usually born in a litter of 2–4 cubs. Mortality of cubs is estimated at 41–50% during the first year. Females give birth in a cave, crevice among boulders, hollow tree, or thicket to make a den. Cubs are born with closed eyes, which open four to nine days after birth. The fur of the young tends to be longer and thicker than that of adults. Their pelage is also more gray in colour with less defined spots. Around three months of age, the young begin to follow the mother on hunts. At one year of age, leopard young can probably fend for themselves, but remain with the mother for 18–24 months. The average typical life span of a leopard is between 12 and 17 years. The oldest recorded spotted leopard was a female named Roxanne living in captivity at McCarthy's Wildlife Sanctuary in The Acreage, Palm Beach County, Florida. She died August 8, 2014 at the age of 24 years, 2 months and 13 days. This has been verified by the Guinness World Records. Previously, the oldest recorded leopard was a female named Bertie living in captivity in Warsaw Zoo. She died in December 2010 at the age of 24. The oldest recorded male leopard was Cezar, who reached the age of 23. He also lived at Warsaw Zoo and was Bertie's lifelong companion.

Animal Anatomy & Biology

The Leopard has a long and slender body that is supported by short, stocky legs and a long tail that is used to aid balance whilst in the trees. Leopards can vary greatly in their colouration and markings depending on their surrounding habitat, with those found on open grasslands having a light yellow background coat where those that are found in forests tend to be darker in colour and with more markings. The dark, ring-like patterns that cover the Leopard's coat are called rosettes, but these turn to solid spots on the face and limbs (and rings on the tail) and provide the Leopard with camouflage into the surrounding environment. Leopards are incredibly strong and muscular and are able to pull themselves up trees using their legs and retractable claws. Like a number of other large feline species, the Leopard is able to draw their claws into folds of skin on their paws to ensure that they are not blunted whilst the animal is walking about. Their keen hearing and sight coupled with their long and very sensitive whiskers, means that Leopards are also incredibly well adapted for hunting under the cover of night. Weight: 30kg - 90kg (66lbs - 198lbs) Life Span:How long the animal lives for: 10 - 15 years Respiration System Respiratory systems in mammals, like the Leopard, rely on a single organ found at the base of the lungs. This organ is called the diaphragm. They diaphragm expands, causing air (Oxygen) to rush into the lungs. Then, it contracts, pushing what is left, or Co², back out into the environment. This is how it takes in it's oxygen. After the Oxygen is in the lungs, it is moved into the blood stream. This blood that is now carrying oxygen is pushed or pumped through the body to get oxygen to the places the animal needs it, like muscles, or their brains. After depositing the oxygen, the blood will be returned to the lungs to pick up more, and repeat the cycle. Depending on the environment, or factors like altitude, mammals will sometimes breath only through their noses or mouth. Mammals have a very diverse selection of respiration to choose from, like us, humans who breath through our mouths and noses. But Leopards breathe through their nostrils because of the altitude they live in. They also have very deep nasal cavities which helps them in their thin-aired environment.

Animal Habitat Information

Originally the leopard lived in all of Africa (but not in the Sahara) and southern Asia. But today many leopard subspecies, especially in Asia, are endangered. Leopards live in a lot of different environments: rainforests, forests, mountains and savannas Leopard Distribution and Habitat Leopards are not only the widest ranging of all Big Cats but are actually one of the most adaptable and are found in a variety of different habitats. Commonly found throughout sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia, there are also small and isolated populations of Leopard inhabiting remote geographic locations in the Far East, Northern Africa and Arabia. The Leopard can be found inhabiting numerous different areas providing that there is a good source of cover and an ample supply of food including tropical rainforests, tree-lined savannah, barren deserts and mountain highlands. One of the reasons why they are thought to be still surviving successfully throughout much of their natural range is that Leopards have adapted to the growing presence of people and are known to both live and hunt in areas close to urban activity. However, in some parts of their natural range populations are threatened by loss of their natural habitats to both deforestation and growing settlements. Where do leopards live? Leopards are found in Africa and Asia, from the Middle Eastern nations to Russia, Korea, China, India, and Malaysia. Consequently, they live in a wide variety of habitats including forests, mountains, deserts and grasslands. The leopard is a very adaptable species, and can be found in different regions of the globe, including: • Sub-Saharan Africa • Arabian Peninsula • Southwestern and eastern Turkey • Sinai Judean Desert • Foothills of the Himalayas • India • Russia • China • Islands of Java • Sri Lanka Leopards tend to favor rocky landscapes with dense bush and riverine forests, but they have also shown to be highly adaptable to many places in both warm and cold climates.

Diet Information

Hunting and diet[change | change source] Leopards hunt at different times, and they also use different methods for hunting. Most often leopards will secretly move towards their prey and attack it when they are close, or hide and wait for it to come close. Leopards are versatile, opportunistic hunters, and have a very wide diet. They feed on a wider range of prey than other members of the Panthera genus.[3] Their diet consists mostly of ungulates and primates (mainly monkeys). However, they also eat rodents, reptiles, amphibians, insects, birds (some ground-based types), fish and sometimes smaller predators (such as foxes, jackals, martens and smaller felids). In one instance, a leopard killed a sub-adult Nile crocodile that was crossing over land.[4] Leopards are the only natural predators of adult chimpanzees and gorillas, though probably not the large male silverback gorillas.[5] Leopards do not usually eat humans, but sometimes leopards that are hurt or sick can eat people when they do not have enough to eat.[6] A leopard in India is believed to have eaten more than 125 people.[7] Captive leopards are fed around 1 to 1.2 kg of meat daily. There is less information about the daily food intake of wild leopards. In the Kalahari it is recorded that male leopards consumed 3.5 kg per day. Females consumed 4.9 kg per day when they were with cubs. In the Tsavo National Park male leopards consumed 2 to 9.5 kg per night. In the Kruger National Park the meat consumption of two leopards was estimated to be between 4.4 to 4.7 kg per day. In the Nagarahole National Park, leopards spent an average of 2.1 days with each kill. They consumed an average of 11.2 kg per day per leopard. In north-eastern Namibia, single females consumed 1.6 kg per day whereas females with cubs consumed 2.5 kg per day. Male leopards in this area consumed 3.1 kg per day. A leopard may eat a quarter of their body weight in a day having adopted the “feast-or-famine” regime.

Mating & Reproduction information

1) What is the gestational period of the animal? 2) How many offspring does it typically have at a time? 3) How long do the offspring live with the parent? Depending on the region, leopards may mate all year round. In Manchuria and Siberia, they mate during January and February. The estrous cycle lasts about 46 days and the female usually is in heat for 6–7 days. Gestation lasts for 90 to 105 days. Cubs are usually born in a litter of 2–4 cubs. Mortality of cubs is estimated at 41–50% during the first year. Females give birth in a cave, crevice among boulders, hollow tree, or thicket to make a den. Cubs are born with closed eyes, which open four to nine days after birth. The fur of the young tends to be longer and thicker than that of adults. Their pelage is also more gray in color with less defined spots. Around three months of age, the young begin to follow the mother on hunts. At one year of age, leopard young can probably fend for themselves, but remain with the mother for 18–24 months.