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For other uses, see Leopard (disambiguation).
"Leopards" redirects here. For other uses, see Leopards (disambiguation).
Leopard
Fossil range: Late Pliocene or Early Pleistocene to Recent

Conservation status
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Genus: Panthera
Species: P. The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts is the period in the Geologic timescale that extends The Pleistocene ('plaɪstəsin is the epoch from 18 million to 10000 years BP covering the world's recent period The conservation status of a Species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species remaining extant either in the present day or the near future Least Concern ( LC) is an IUCN category assigned to extant species or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List) created in 1963 is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands The diverse order Carnivora (kɑrˈnɪvərə or sometimes /ˌkɑrnɪˈvɔərə/ from Latin carō (stem carn-) "flesh" + vorāre Felidae is the biological family of the cats a member of this family is called a felid. Panthera is a Genus of the family Felidae (the cats which contains four well-known living Species: the Tiger, the pardus
Binomial name
Panthera pardus
Linnaeus, 1758

The leopard (IPA: [lɛpɚɖ]; Panthera pardus) is an Old World mammal of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four big cats of the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion and jaguar. Carl Linnaeus (Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as, May 23 new style (13 May old style 1707 who laid the foundations for The Old World consists of those parts of Earth known to Europeans Asians and Africans in the 15th century Mammals ( class Mammalia) are a class of Vertebrate Animals characterized by the presence of Sweat glands, including sweat glands Felidae is the biological family of the cats a member of this family is called a felid. In Biological classification, family ( Latin The term big cat is used to distinguish the larger cat species from smaller ones A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic Panthera is a Genus of the family Felidae (the cats which contains four well-known living Species: the Tiger, the The tiger ( Panthera tigris) is a member of the Felidae family the largest and the most powerful of the four " Big cats quot in the Genus The lion ( Panthera leo) is a member of the family Felidae and one of four Big cats in the Genus Panthera. The jaguar (Panthera onca,, or—especially in British English — is a New World Mammal of the Felidae family and one of Once distributed across southern Eurasia and Africa, from Korea to South Africa, the leopard's range of distribution has decreased radically over time because of a variety of factors, including human influence, and the leopard now chiefly occurs in sub-Saharan Africa. For the superstate in George Orwell 's novel see Nations of Nineteen Eighty-Four. Korea is a geographic area composed of two sovereign countries a civilization and a former state situated on the Korean Peninsula in East Asia. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa There are fragmented populations in India, Indochina, Malaysia, and China. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Indochina, or the Indochinese Peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. For the biogeographical region see Malesia Malaysia (məˈleɪʒə or /məˈleɪziə/ is a country that consists of thirteen states and China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National Despite the loss of range and continual declines in population, the cat remains a "Least Concern" species; its numbers are greater than that of the other Panthera species, all of which face more acute conservation concerns. Least Concern ( LC) is an IUCN category assigned to extant species or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category

The leopard has relatively short legs and a long body, with a large skull. Physically, it most closely resembles the jaguar, although it is usually smaller and of slighter build. Its fur is marked with rosettes which lack internal spots, unlike those of the jaguar. A rosette is a Rose -like marking or formation which is found in clusters and patches on the Fur of Leopards, Jaguars and other Leopards that are melanistic, either completely black or very dark in coloration, are one of the big cats known colloquially as black panthers. Melanism μέλας is an increased amount of black or nearly black Pigmentation (as of Skin, Feathers or Hair) of an organism resulting from A black panther is a black ( melanistic) color variant of one of several Species of larger cat which are often known by the term panther.

The species' success in the wild owes in part to its opportunistic hunting behaviour, its adaptability to a variety of habitats and its ability to move at up to approximately 60 kilometres (37 miles) an hour. A generalist species is able to thrive in a wide variety of environmental conditions and can make use of a variety of different resources (for example a Heterotroph The leopard consumes virtually any animal it can hunt down and catch. Its preferred habitat ranges from rainforest to desert terrains. Rainforests are Forests characterized by high Rainfall with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 1750–2000 mm (68-78 inches A desert is a Landscape or region that receives very little precipitation. Its ecological role and status resembles that of the similarly-sized cougar in the Americas. Ecology (from Greek grc οἶκος oikos, "house(hold" and grc -λογία -logia) is the scientific study of The cougar ( Puma concolor) also puma, mountain lion, or panther, depending on region is a Mammal of the Felidae family The Americas are the lands of the Western hemisphere or New World, consisting of the Continents of North America and South America

Contents

Etymology

In antiquity, it was believed that a leopard was a hybrid of a lion and a panther, as is reflected in its name, a Greek compound word derived from λέων léon ("lion") and πάρδος párdos ("male panther"), the latter related to Sanskrit पृदाकु pṝdāku ("snake, tiger, panther"). Classical antiquity (also the classical era or classical period) is a broad term for a long period of cultural History centered on the Mediterranean In Biology, hybrid has two meanings The first meaning is the result of interbreeding between two animals or plants of different taxa. A black panther is a black ( melanistic) color variant of one of several Species of larger cat which are often known by the term panther. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical [2][3]

A panther can be any of several species of large felid; in North America, the term refers to cougars; in South America, jaguars; and everywhere else, it refers to leopards. Felidae is the biological family of the cats a member of this family is called a felid. The cougar ( Puma concolor) also puma, mountain lion, or panther, depending on region is a Mammal of the Felidae family South America is a Continent of the Americas, situated entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a The jaguar (Panthera onca,, or—especially in British English — is a New World Mammal of the Felidae family and one of Early naturalists distinguished between leopards and panthers not by colour (a common misconception), but by the length of the tail—panthers having longer tails than leopards. Natural history is the Scientific research of Plants or Animals leaning more towards the Observational than Experimental methods

Felis pardus was one of the many species described in Linnaeus's 18th-century work, Systema Naturae. Carl Linnaeus (Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as, May 23 new style (13 May old style 1707 who laid the foundations for The book Systema Naturae was one of the major works of the Swedish doctor of medicine Carolus Linnaeus. [4]

The generic component of its modern scientific designation, Panthera pardus, is derived from Latin via Greek πάνθηρ pánthēr. A folk etymology held that it was a compound of παν pan ("all") and θηρ ("beast"). Folk etymology is a term used in two distinct ways A commonly held misunderstanding of the origin of a particular word a False etymology. However, it is believed instead to derive from an Indo-Iranian word meaning "whitish-yellow, pale"; in Sanskrit, this word's reflex was पाण्डर pāṇḍara, from which was derived पुण्डरीक puṇḍárīka ("tiger", among other things), then borrowed into Greek. [2][5][6]

Taxonomy

Like the rest of the feline family, the Panthera genus has been subject to much alteration and debate and the exact relations between the four species (as well as the clouded leopard and snow leopard) have not been effectively resolved. The Clouded Leopard ( Neofelis nebulosa) is a medium-sized cat, 55 to 110 cm (2 ft to 3 ft 6 in long and weighing between 15 and 23 kg (33 to 50 lb The snow leopard ( Uncia uncia) sometimes known as the ounce, is a large cat native to the mountain ranges of Central Asia from Afghanistan Northern DNA evidence shows that the lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, snow leopard, and clouded leopard share a common ancestor nearly 11 million years ago (Ma)—the basal divergence amongst the Felidae family. Deoxyribonucleic acid ( DNA) is a Nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known In Phylogenetics, a basal Clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade it appears at the base of a cladogram Felidae is the biological family of the cats a member of this family is called a felid. [7] The fossil record points to the emergence of Panthera just two to 3. 8 million years ago. [7][8]

In a mitochondrial DNA study, Yu and Zhang (2005) suggest that the leopard is most closely related to the snow leopard, and go so far as placing the latter as a fifth species of Panthera, P. Mitochondrial DNA ( mtDNA) is the DNA located in Organelles called mitochondria. uncia. [9] Canonical works, such as the Mammal Species of the World, continue to list the snow leopard as the only species within its genus, Uncia uncia,[10] but this could change; Johnson et al. (2006) support the placement of the snow leopard within Panthera. They suggest, however, that the snow leopard is most closely aligned with the tiger. The leopard is held to have diverged from the Panthera lineage subsequent to these two species, but before the lion and jaguar. [7] Older research has tended to suggest that the leopard is most closely related to the lion and/or the jaguar. As recently as 2001, it was held to have split along with the lion in a phylogenetic analysis of chemical secretions amongst cats. [11]

Panthera is believed to have emerged in Asia, with ancestors of the leopard and other cats subsequently migrating into Africa. [7] Fossil evidence of leopard ancestors has been found from 2 to 3. 5 Ma. These Pleistocene specimens resemble primitive jaguars. The Pleistocene ('plaɪstəsin is the epoch from 18 million to 10000 years BP covering the world's recent period The modern leopard type is suggested to have evolved in Africa 470 000–825 000 years ago and radiated across Asia 170 000–300 000 years ago. [12]

Subspecies

Indian leopard
Indian leopard

As many as 27 leopard subspecies were once suggested, the number growing from the time of Linnaeus in the 18th century to that of Reginald Pocock in the early 20th. Carl Linnaeus (Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as, May 23 new style (13 May old style 1707 who laid the foundations for Reginald Innes Pocock FRS ( March 4, 1863 - August 9, 1947) was a British Zoologist. In 1996, Miththapala et al. revised this downward to just eight subsepecies based on DNA analysis. [13] Uphyrina et al. would concur in 2001 but split out a ninth separately, the Arabian leopard (P. The Arabian leopard ( Panthera pardus nimr) is a smaller subspecies of Leopard than that of its cousins in Asia and Africa. pardus nimr). The latter researchers note the number mght be an underestimate because of limited sampling of African leopards. Their list as follows:[12]

Sri Lankan leopard
Sri Lankan leopard
Female leopard in the Sabi Sands area of South Africa. Note the white spot on its tail, used for communicating with cubs while hunting or in long grass
Female leopard in the Sabi Sands area of South Africa. Note the white spot on its tail, used for communicating with cubs while hunting or in long grass

Older taxonomic divisions

Included in the African leopard (P. pardus pardus):[13]

Included in the Persian leopard (P. pardus saxicolor):[13]

Included in the Indian leopard (P. pardus fusca):[13]

Physical characteristics

The leopard is an agile and stealthy predator. Although smaller than the other members of the Panthera genus, the leopard is still able to take large prey given a massive skull that well utilizes powerful jaw muscles. [14] Its body is comparatively long for a cat and its legs are short. [15] Head and body length is between 90 and 190 cm (35 and 75 in), the tail reaches 60 to 110 cm (24 to 43 in). Shoulder height is 45 to 80 cm (18-31 in). Males are considerably larger than females and weigh 37 to 90 kg (81 to 198 lbs) compared to 28 to 60 kg (62 to 132 lbs) for females. [16]

One of many spotted cats, a leopard may be mistaken for a cheetah or a jaguar. The leopard has rosettes rather than cheetah's simple spots, but they lack internal spots, unlike the jaguar. A rosette is a Rose -like marking or formation which is found in clusters and patches on the Fur of Leopards, Jaguars and other The cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus) is an atypical member of the cat family ( Felidae) that is unique in its speed while lacking climbing abilities The leopard is larger and less lanky than the cheetah but smaller than the jaguar. The leopard's black, irregular rosettes serve as camouflage. They are circular in East Africa but tend to be square-shaped in southern Africa. [15]

Leopards have been reported to reach 21 years of age in captivity. [17]

Black leopards

Main article: Black panther

A melanistic morph of the leopard occurs, particularly in mountainous areas and rain forests. A black panther is a black ( melanistic) color variant of one of several Species of larger cat which are often known by the term panther. Melanism μέλας is an increased amount of black or nearly black Pigmentation (as of Skin, Feathers or Hair) of an organism resulting from Rainforests are Forests characterized by high Rainfall with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 1750–2000 mm (68-78 inches The black color is heritable and caused by recessive gene loci. History See also History of genetics The existence of genes was first suggested by Gregor Mendel (1822-1884 who in the 1860s studied inheritance [18] (While they are commonly called black panthers, the term is not exclusive to leopards; it also applies to melanistic jaguars. A black panther is a black ( melanistic) color variant of one of several Species of larger cat which are often known by the term panther. )

Melanistic leopards are particularly common on the Malayan Peninsula: early reports suggested up to half of all leopards there are black, but a 2007 camera-trap study in Taman Negara National Park found that all specimens were melanistic. The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula (Semenanjung Tanah Melayu (คาบสมุทรมลายู is a major Peninsula located in Southeast Taman Negara National Park was established in Malaysia in 1938 / 1939 as the King George V National Park. [19] Although the benefits of melanism are difficult to interpret, it may serve as camouflage in the rainforest habitat. Rainforests are Forests characterized by high Rainfall with definitions setting minimum normal annual rainfall between 1750–2000 mm (68-78 inches (Genetic research has found four independent origins for melanism in cats, suggesting that there must be some adaptive advantage. Convergent evolution describes the acquisition of the same biological trait in unrelated lineages )[18] Another possibility is that the color variation was relic adaptation to an epidemic; genes causing melanism can also affect the immune system. [19]

In Africa, black leopards are much less common as melanism is not an adaptive advantage on the savanna: dark coloration provides poor camouflage and makes hunting difficult. Estimates are as low as one in 80 or 100. In the dense forests of the Ethiopian Highlands, however, the black leopard is much more common than in Africa generally; as many as one in five leopards may be melanistic. The Ethiopian Highlands are a rugged mass of mountains in Ethiopia, Eritrea (which is sometimes referred to as the Eritrean Highlands) and northern [20]

Biology and behavior

Female leopard. Note the ocelli (white spots on the back of the ears) used.
Female leopard. Note the ocelli (white spots on the back of the ears) used. An eyespot (sometimes ocellus) is an eye-like marking They are found on butterflies reptiles and birds

The leopard is known for its ability in climbing, and it has been observed resting on tree branches during the day and descending from trees headfirst. [21] It is a powerful swimmer, although, not as strong as some other big cats, such as the tiger. The tiger ( Panthera tigris) is a member of the Felidae family the largest and the most powerful of the four " Big cats quot in the Genus The leopard is also very agile, and can run over sixty kilometres an hour, leap over six metres and jump up to three metres vertically. [22] The leopard is primarily a nocturnal creature, and many of its operations are done by night. As an Animal behavior, nocturnality describes sleeping during the Daytime and being active at Night - the opposite of the diurnal However, there have been recorded instances of leopards hunting during the light, especially when the sky is overcast. It spends much of its day resting and sleeping, up in the branches of tress, underneath rocks or in the grass. [22]

Diet and hunting

Leopards are opportunistic hunters. Although mid-sized animals are preferred, the leopard will eat anything from dung beetles to 900 kg (1,984 lb) male giant elands. Dung beetles are beetles which feed partly or exclusively on Feces. The Giant Eland ( Taurotragus derbianus also known as the Lord Derby Eland) is an open Forest Savannah Antelope. [14] Their diet consists mostly of ungulates and monkeys, but rodents, reptiles, amphibians, birds and fish are also eaten;[23] In Africa, mid-sized antelopes provide a majority of the leopard's prey, especially impala and Thomson's gazelles. Ungulates (meaning roughly "being Hoofed quot or "hoofed animal" are several groups of Mammals most of which use the tips of their toes usually A monkey is any member of either the New World monkeys or Old World monkeys two of the three groupings of Simian Primates the third group being Rodentia is an order of Mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously-growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia are air-breathing Cold-blooded Vertebrates that have skin covered in scales as opposed to hair or feathers Prehistoric amphibian Amphibians (class Amphibia such as Frogs Toads Salamanders Newts Gymnophiona, Sirens and Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. Fish are aquatic Vertebrate animals that are typically ectothermic (previously Cold-blooded) covered with scales, and equipped with two An impala ( Aepyceros melampus Greek αιπος aipos "high" κερος ceros "horn" + melas "black" pous The Thomson's gazelle ( Eudorcas thomsoni) is one of the best-known Gazelles It is named after explorer Joseph Thomson, and is often referred to as the " [24] In Asia the leopard preys on deer such as chitals and muntjacs as well as various Asian antelopes and Ibex. The chital or cheetal ( Axis axis) also known as chital deer, spotted deer or axis deer is a Deer which commonly inhabits An ibex, commonly called by its French name bouquetin also called Steinbock in German an individual of any of several species of wild mountain goats (genus One study at the Wolong Reserve in China revealed how adaptable the leopard's hunting behaviour is: over the course of seven years vegetative cover receded, and the animals opportunistically shifted from primarly consuming tufted deer to instead pursuing bamboo rats and other smaller prey. The Tufted Deer (Elaphodus cephalophus is a close relative of the Muntjac, living somewhat further north over a wide area of central China and northeastern The bamboo rats are four species of Rodents of the subfamily Rhizomyinae. [25]

The leopard stalks its prey silently and at the last minute pounces on its prey and strangles its throat with a quick bite. Leopards often hide their kills in dense vegetation or take them up trees,[24] and are capable of carrying animals up to three times their own weight this way.

One survey of nearly 30 research papers found preferred prey weights of 10 to 40 kg (22-88 lb), with 25 kg (55 lb) most preferred. Along with impala and chital, a preference for bushbuck and common duiker was found. The Bushbuck ( Tragelaphus scriptus) is an Antelope that is found in forest and woodland throughout Sub-Saharan Africa The Common Duiker, Sylvicapra grimmia, also known as the Gray or Bush Duiker, is a small Antelope with small horns found in west central Other prey selection factors include a preference for prey in small herds, in dense habitat, and those that afford the predator a low risk of injury. [26]

Anatolian leopard resting on a tree
Anatolian leopard resting on a tree

Reproduction

A male may follow a female who catches his attention. The Anatolian leopard ( Panthera pardus tulliana) was once described as a distinct Subspecies of Leopard native to Anatolia (Asia Minor Eventually, a fight for reproductive rights may take place. Depending on the region, leopards may mate all year round (Asia and Africa) or seasonally during January to February (Manchuria and Siberia). The estrous cycle lasts about 46 days and the female usually is in heat for 6–7 days. Oestrus is also the biological genus name of the gadfly. The estrous cycle (also oestrous cycle; derived from Latin [27] Cubs are usually born in a litter of 2–4,[28] but infant mortality is high and usually no more than 1–2 cubs survive beyond their infancy. The pregnant females find a cave, crevice among boulders, hollow tree, or thicket to give birth and make a den. Cubs open their eyes after a period of 10 days. 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 the infants begin to follow the mother out on hunts. At one year of age leopard young can probably fend for themselves but they remain with the mother for 18–24 months. [29]

Social structure and home range

Studies of leopard home range size have tended to focus on protected areas, which may have led to skewed data; as of the mid-1980s, only 13% of the leopard range actually fell within a protected area. [30] In their IUCN survey of the literature, Nowell and Jackson suggest male home territories vary between 30-78 square kilometers, but just 15-16 km² for females. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of [14] Research in a conservation area in Kenya shows similar territory sizes and sex differential: 32. 8 km² ranges for males, on average, and 14 km² for females. [31] In Nepal, somewhat larger male ranges have been found at about 48 km², while female ranges are in-keeping with other research, at 17 km²; female home territories were seen to decrease to just five to seven km² when young cubs were present, while the sexual difference in range size seemed to be in positive proportion to overall increase. Nepal (नेपाल) is a Landlocked country in South Asia. [32] However, significant variations in size of home territories have been suggested across the leopard's range. In Namibia, for instance, research that focussed on spatial ecology in farmlands outside of protected areas found ranges that were consistently above 100 km², with some more than 300 km²; admitting that their data were at odds with others', the researchers also suggested little or no sexual variation in the size of territories. [30] Virtually all sources suggest that males do have larger ranges. There seems to be little or no overlap in territory amongst males, although overlap exists between the sexes; one radio-collar analysis in the Ivory Coast found a female home range completely enclosed within a male's. Côte d'Ivoire (ˌkoʊt divˈwɑː(r ' in English, kot diˈvwaʀ in French) or Ivory Coast, officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a [33]

The leopard is solitary and, aside from mating, interactions between individuals appear to be infrequent. [33] Aggressive encounters have been observed, however. Two of five males studied over a period of a year at a game reserve in South Africa died, both violently. One was initially wounded in a male-male territorial battle over a carcass; taken in by researchers, it was released after a successful convalescence only to be killed by a different male a few months later. A second was killed by another predator, possibly a spotted hyena. The Spotted Hyena, or Laughing Hyena, ( Crocuta crocuta) is a carnivorous Mammal of the family Hyaenidae. A third of the five was badly wounded in intraspecific fighting, but recovered. [34]

Ecology

Distribution and habitat

Data from 1996 found that the leopard has the largest distribution of any wild cat,[14] occurring most in certain parts of southern Asia and widely in eastern and central Africa,[35] although populations before and since have shown a declining trend and are fragmented outside of subsaharan Africa. The IUCN notes that within sub-Saharan Africa the species is "still numerous and even thriving in marginal habitats" where other large cats have disappeared, but that populations in North Africa may be extinct. In Asia, data on distribution is not consistent: populations in Southwest and Central Asia are small and fragmented; in the northeast portion of the range, they are critically endangered; but in the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia, and China, the leopard is still relatively abundant. [1]

Leopards live mainly in grasslands, woodlands and riverside forests. The animal has primarily been studied in open savannah habitats, which may have biased common descriptions. It is generally considered nocturnal, for instance, but radio-tracking and scat analysis in West Africa has found that rainforest leopards are more likely to be diurnal and crepuscular. As an Animal behavior, nocturnality describes sleeping during the Daytime and being active at Night - the opposite of the diurnal Crepuscular is a term used to describe animals that are primarily active during Twilight, hence at Dawn and at Dusk. Forest leopards are also more specialized in prey selection and exhibit seasonal differences in activity patterns. [36] While associated with the savanna and rainforest, the leopard is exceptionally adaptable: in the Russian Far East, the animal inhabits temperate forests where winter temperatures reach a low of –25 °C. [12]

Ecological role

Because of their wide habitat range, leopards must compete for food and safety with other large predators such as lions, tigers, spotted hyenas and wild dogs. The Spotted Hyena, or Laughing Hyena, ( Crocuta crocuta) is a carnivorous Mammal of the family Hyaenidae. The Canidae (ˈkænədiː ′kanə′dē family is a part of the order Carnivora within the Mammals (Class Mammalia These competitors sometimes may steal the leopard's kill or devour its young. A single lion or tiger is capable of killing an adult leopard. Leopards have adapted to live alongside these other predators by hunting at different times of the day, and by avoiding areas frequented by them. In search of safety, the leopard will often stash its young or a recent kill high up in a tree. Lions are occasionally successful in climbing trees and fetching leopard kills,[37] and if motivated, an adult tiger might also scale a tree to acquire food.

Nowell and Jackson note that resource portioning occurs where the leopard shares range with the lion or tiger: the leopard tends to take smaller prey (usually less than 75 kg) where its large feline cousins are present. [14] One tropical forest study suggests that leopards do not always avoid the larger cats by hunting at different times. With relatively abundant prey, tigers and leopards were seen to successfully coexist without competitive exclusion or inter-species dominance hierarchies that may be more common to the savanna. [38]

Variant coloration

A melanistic leopard, or "black panther".
A melanistic leopard, or "black panther".

A pseudo-melanistic leopard has a normal background colour, but its excessive markings have coalesced so that its back seems to be entirely black. In some specimens, the area of solid black extends down the flanks and limbs; only a few lateral streaks of golden-brown indicate the presence of normal background colour. Any spots on the flanks and limbs that have not merged into the mass of swirls and stripes are unusually small and discrete, rather than forming rosettes. The face and underparts are paler and dappled like those of ordinary spotted leopards. These melanistic leopards are often incorrectly referred to by the general population as "black panthers". [39]

In a paper about panthers and ounces of Asia, Reginald Innes Pocock used a photo of a leopard skin from southern India; it had large black-rimmed blotches, each containing a number of dots and it resembled the pattern of a jaguar or clouded leopard. Reginald Innes Pocock FRS ( March 4, 1863 - August 9, 1947) was a British Zoologist. The jaguar (Panthera onca,, or—especially in British English — is a New World Mammal of the Felidae family and one of The Clouded Leopard ( Neofelis nebulosa) is a medium-sized cat, 55 to 110 cm (2 ft to 3 ft 6 in long and weighing between 15 and 23 kg (33 to 50 lb Another of Pocock's leopard skins from southern India had the normal rosettes broken up and fused and so much additional pigment that the animal looked like a black leopard streaked and speckled with yellow.

Most other colour morphs of leopards are known only from paintings or museum specimens. There have been very rare examples where the spots of a normal black leopard have coalesced to give a jet black leopard with no visible markings. Pseudo-melanism (abundism) occurs in leopards. The spots are more densely packed than normal and merge to largely obscure the background colour. They may form swirls and, in some places, solid black areas. Unlike a true black leopard the tawny background colour is visible in places. One pseudo-melanistic leopard had a tawny orange coat with coalescing rosettes and spots, but white belly with normal black spots (like a black-and-tan dog).

A 1910 description of a pseudo-melanistic leopard:

There is, however, a peculiar dark phase in South Africa, a specimen of which was obtained in 1885 in hilly land covered with scrub-jungle, near Grahamstown. The ground-colour of this animal was a rich tawny, with an orange tinge; but the spots, instead of being of the usual rosette-like form, were nearly all small and solid, like those on the head of an ordinary leopard; while from the top of the head to near the root of the tail the spots became almost confluent, producing the appearance of a broad streak of black running down the back. A second skin had the black area embracing nearly the whole of the back and flanks, without showing any trace of the spots, while in those portions of the skin where the latter remained they were of the same form as in the first specimen. Two other specimens are known; the whole four having been obtained from the Albany district. These dark-coloured South African leopards differ from the black leopards of the northern and eastern parts of Africa and Asia in that while in the latter the rosette-like spots are always retained and clearly visible, in the former the rosettes are lost – as, indeed, is to a considerable extent often the case in ordinary African leopards – and all trace of spots disappears from the blacker portions of the skin.

—Lydekker, R. (1910), Harmsworth Natural History

Another pseudo-melanistic leopard skin was described in 1915 by Holdridge Ozro Collins who had purchased it in 1912. It had been killed in Malabar, India that same year.

The wide black portion, which glistens like the sheen of silk velvet, extends from the top of the head to the extremity of the tail entirely free from any white or tawny hairs … In the tiger, the stripes are black, of a uniform character, upon a tawny background, and they run in parallel lines from the centre of the back to the belly. In this skin, the stripes are almost golden yellow, without the uniformity and parallelism of the tiger characteristics, and they extend along the sides in labyrinthine graceful curls and circles, several inches below the wide shimmering black continuous course of the back. The extreme edges around the legs and belly are white and spotted like the skin of a leopard … The skin is larger than that of a leopard but smaller than that of a full grown tiger.

—Collins, Holdridge Ozro (1915)

In May 1936, the British Natural History Museum exhibited the mounted skin of an unusual Somali leopard. The Natural History Museum is one of three large Museums on Exhibition Road, South Kensington, London (the others are the Science Museum The pelt was richly decorated with an intricate pattern of swirling stripes, blotches, curls and fine-line traceries. This is different from a spotted leopard, but similar to a king cheetah hence the modern cryptozoology term king leopard. The cheetah ( Acinonyx jubatus) is an atypical member of the cat family ( Felidae) that is unique in its speed while lacking climbing abilities Cryptozoology (from Greek κρυπτός kruptos, "hidden" + Zoology; literally "study of hidden animals" is the study of and search Between 1885 and 1934, six pseudo-melanistic leopards were recorded in the Albany and Grahamstown districts of South Africa. This indicated a mutation in the local leopard population. Other king leopards have been recorded from Malabar in southwestern India. Shooting for trophies may have wiped out these populations.

Hybrids

Main article: Pumapard
Pumapard, taken in 1904.
Pumapard, taken in 1904. A pumapard is a hybrid of a Puma and a Leopard. Three sets of these hybrids were bred in the late 1890s and early 1900s by Carl Hagenbeck at his animal park in

A pumapard is a hybrid animal resulting from a union between a leopard and a puma. In Biology, hybrid has two meanings The first meaning is the result of interbreeding between two animals or plants of different taxa. The cougar ( Puma concolor) also puma, mountain lion, or panther, depending on region is a Mammal of the Felidae family Three sets of these hybrids were bred in the late 1890s and early 1900s by Carl Hagenbeck at his animal park in Hamburg, Germany. Carl Hagenbeck ( June 10, 1844 - April 14, 1913) was a merchant of Wild animals who supplied many European Zoos as well Hamburg (English, German: ˈhambʊɐk local pronunciation Low German / Low Saxon: Hamborg) is the second-largest city in Germany Most did not reach adulthood. One of these was purchased in 1898 by Berlin Zoo. Berlin is the capital city and one of sixteen states of Germany. A similar hybrid in Berlin Zoo purchased from Hagenbeck was a cross between a male leopard and a female puma. Hamburg Zoo's specimen was the reverse pairing, the one in the black and white photo, fathered by a puma bred to an Indian leopardess. Whether born to a female puma mated to a male leopard, or to a male puma mated to a female leopard, pumapards inherit a form of dwarfism. Those reported grew to only half the size of the parents. They have a puma-like long body (proportional to the limbs, but nevertheless shorter than either parent), but short legs. The coat is variously described as sandy, tawny or greyish with brown, chestnut or "faded" rosettes.

Leopards and humans

A mosaic depicting Dionysus on a leopard. 4th century BC. Pella, Greece.
A mosaic depicting Dionysus on a leopard. Art History Mosaics of the 4th century BC are found in the Macedonian palace-city of Aegae, and they enriched the floors of Hellenistic In Classical mythology, Dionysus or Dionysos (in Greek, Διόνυσος or Διώνυσος; associated with Roman 4th century BC. Pella, Greece. Pella (Πέλλα was the Capital of the ancient kingdom of Macedon. Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία

Leopards have been known to humans since antiquity and have featured in the art, mythology and folklore of many countries where they have historically occurred, such as ancient Greece, Persia and Rome, as well as some where they have not existed since for several millenniums, such as in England. The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca The Persian Empire was a series of Iranian empires that ruled over the Iranian plateau, the original Persian homeland and beyond in Western Asia England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The modern use of the leopard as an emblem for sport or a coat of arms is much more restricted to Africa, though numerous products worldwide have used the name.

Leopards and humans have many relations, involving tourism, heraldry and modern culture. Tourism is Travel for Recreational or Leisure purposes The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people who "travel Heraldry in its most general sense encompasses all matters relating to the duties and responsibilities of officers of arms. Leopard domestication has also been recorded - several leopards were kept in a menagerie established by King John at the Tower of London in the 13th century; around 1235 of these animals were given to Henry III by the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II. John (24 December 1167 &ndash 19 October 1216 reigned as a King of England from 6 April 1199 until his death Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically as The Tower) is a historic monument in central London Henry III (1 October 1207 &ndash 16 November 1272 was the son and successor of John "Lackland" as King of England, reigning for fifty-six years from 1216 Frederick II ( December 26, 1194 &ndash December 13, 1250) of the Hohenstaufen dynasty was a Pretender to the title [40]

A female leopard in the Sabi Sands of South Africa illustrating just how close tourists can get to these wild cats.
A female leopard in the Sabi Sands of South Africa illustrating just how close tourists can get to these wild cats.

Tourism

Despite its size, this largely nocturnal and arboreal predator is difficult to see in the wild. As an Animal behavior, nocturnality describes sleeping during the Daytime and being active at Night - the opposite of the diurnal Arboreal is a word meaning "related to or resembling trees" The best location to see leopards in Africa is in the Sabi Sand Private Game Reserve in South Africa, where leopards are habituated to safari vehicles and are seen on a daily basis at very close range. The Republic of South Africa (also known by other official names) is a country located at the southern tip of the continent of Africa SAFARI was an attempt by the French government under the presidency of Georges Pompidou, to create a centralized database of personal data In Asia, one can see leopards at Yala National Park in Sri Lanka, which has one of the world's highest densities of wild leopards, but even here sightings are by no means guaranteed because more than half the park is closed to the public, allowing the animals to thrive. Yala National Park is a National park in Sri Lanka. The reserve covers 979 km² although only the original 141 km² are open to the public Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island Another good destination for leopard watching is the recently reopened Wilpattu National Park, also in Sri Lanka. Wilpattu National Park (Willu-pattu Land of Lakes is a park located on the island of Sri Lanka. In India leopards are found all over the country and this wide distribution leads to maximum man-animal conflict. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Among the best places to observe leopards in India are national parks in Madhya Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Madhya Pradesh (abbreviated as MP) ( Hindī: मध्य प्रदेश pronounced, Translation: Middle Province) often Uttarakhand ( Hindi: उत्तराखण्ड or उत्तराखंड Uttar + Akhand i

Coat of arms of the German state of Baden-Württemberg
Coat of arms of the German state of Baden-Württemberg

Heraldry

Main article: Leopard (heraldry)

The lion passant guardant or "leopard" is a frequently used charge in heraldry, most commonly appearing in groups of three. The leopard or lion passant guardant is a frequently used charge in Heraldry. In Heraldry and Vexillology, a charge is an image occupying the field on an escutcheon (or shield Heraldry in its most general sense encompasses all matters relating to the duties and responsibilities of officers of arms. [41] The heraldric leopard lacks spots and sports a mane, making it visually almost identical to the heraldric lion, and the two are often used interchangeably. These traditional lion passant guardants appear in the coat of arms of England and many of its former colonies; more modern naturalistic (leopard-like) depictions appear on the coat of arms of several African nations including Benin, Malawi, Somalia, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Gabon which uses a black panther. The royal coat of arms of England was the official coat of arms of the monarchs of England, and were used as the official coat of arms of the Kingdom of England The Coat of Arms of Benin, originally introduced in 1964, was readopted in 1990 after being replaced in 1975. The Coat of arms of Malawi is based on the earlier heraldic arms of Nyasaland. The Coat of arms of Somalia was adopted on October 10 1956 The leopards which support the shield and the white star were also found on the arms used The Coat of Arms of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has changed several times since 1997 The Coat of Arms of Gabon was designed by the Swiss Heraldist and Vexillologist Louis Mühlemann one of the founding members of the FIAV [42]

Man-eating

Although most leopards will tend to avoid humans, people are occasionally targeted as prey. Most healthy leopards prefer wild prey to humans, but cats who are injured, sickly or struggling with a shortage of regular prey often turn to hunting people and may become habituated to it. In the most extreme cases, both in India, a leopard dubbed "the Leopard of Rudraprayag" is claimed to have killed over 125 people and the infamous leopard called "Panar Leopard" killed over 400 after being injured by a poacher and thus being made unable to hunt normal prey. The Leopard of Rudraprayag is claimed to have killed over 125 people before being killed by famed big cat hunter and author Jim Corbett. The Leopard of Panar was a man-eating male leopard alleged to have killed and eaten as many as 400 people over a period of several years in the Kumaon District of [43][44] The "Leopard of Rudraprayag" and the "Panar Leopard" were both killed by the famed hunter Jim Corbett. Jim Corbett ( 25 July 1875 – 19 April 1955) was an Indian born Irish hunter, Conservationist [45] Man-eating leopards are considered bold by feline standards and commonly enter human settlements for prey, more so than their lion and tiger counterparts. [46] Kenneth Anderson, who had first hand experience with many man-eating leopards, described them as far more threatening than tigers:

The body of the Leopard of Gummalapur, responsible for the deaths of 42 people
The body of the Leopard of Gummalapur, responsible for the deaths of 42 people

Although examples of such animals are comparatively rare, when they do occur they depict the panther [leopard] as an engine of destruction quite equal to his far larger cousin, the tiger. Kenneth Anderson (1910-1974 was an Indian Writer and Hunter who wrote many books about his adventures in the jungles of South India. The Leopard of Gummalapur, also known as the Spotted Devil of Gummalapur, was a man-eating Indian leopard responsible for the deaths of 42 people in the Because of his smaller size he can conceal himself in places impossible to a tiger, his need for water is far less, and in veritable demoniac cunning and daring, coupled with the uncanny sense of self preservation and stealthy disappearance when danger threatens, he has no equal. . .

—Nine Man-Eaters and One Rogue, Chapter II The Spotted Devil of Gummalapur

Because they can subsist on small prey and are less dependent on large prey, leopards are less likely to turn to man-eating than either lions or tigers. However, leopards might be attracted to human settlements by livestock or pets, especially domestic dogs, and they may resort to the eating of humans should conditions demand it, and no other food is available. [47] In addition, leopards also preyed on early hominids. A hominid is any member of the biological family Hominidae (the "great apes" including the extinct and extant Humans Chimpanzees [48]

Popular culture

See also

Notes

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  2. ^ a b "Leopard". Online Etymology Dictionary. Douglas Harper. Retrieved on 2007-11-30. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1700 - Battle of Narva — A Swedish army of 8500 men under Charles XII defeats
  3. ^ Monier-Williams, Sir Monier; Prof. E. Leumann, Ph. D. , Prof. C. Cappeller, Ph. D. , et al. "pṝdāku", A Sanskrit-English Dictionary (JPEG), p. 647. Retrieved on 2007-11-30. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1700 - Battle of Narva — A Swedish army of 8500 men under Charles XII defeats  
  4. ^ (Latin) Linnaeus, C (1758). Carl Linnaeus (Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as, May 23 new style (13 May old style 1707 who laid the foundations for Systema naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. Tomus I., Editio decima, reformata. , Holmiae. (Laurentii Salvii). .  
  5. ^ Monier-Williams, Sir Monier; Prof. E. Leumann, Ph. D. , Prof. C. Cappeller, Ph. D. , et al. "pāṇḍara", A Sanskrit-English Dictionary (JPEG), p. 616. Retrieved on 2007-11-30. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1700 - Battle of Narva — A Swedish army of 8500 men under Charles XII defeats  
  6. ^ Monier-Williams, Sir Monier; Prof. E. Leumann, Ph. D. , Prof. C. Cappeller, Ph. D. , et al. "puṇḍárīka", A Sanskrit-English Dictionary (JPEG), p. 631. Retrieved on 2007-11-30. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1700 - Battle of Narva — A Swedish army of 8500 men under Charles XII defeats  
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  8. ^ Turner, A. (1987). "New fossil carnivore remains from the Sterkfontein hominid site (Mammalia: Carnivora)". Annals of the Transvaal Museum 34: 319–347. ISSN 0041-1752. An International Standard Serial Number ( ISSN) is a unique eight-digit number used to identify a print or electronic Periodical publication.  
  9. ^ Yu L & Zhang YP (2005). "Phylogenetic studies of pantherine cats (Felidae) based on multiple genes, with novel application of nuclear beta-fibrinogen intron 7 to carnivores" (PDF). Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 35 (2): 483–495. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2005.01.017. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document.  
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  15. ^ a b Leopard. African Wildlife Foundation. Retrieved on 2007-09-21. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1217 - The Estonian tribal leader Lembitu of Lehola was killed in a battle against Teutonic Knights. .
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  20. ^ Melanism in Felines. Wildlife of Ethiopia. Biological Society of Ethopia (April 2001). Retrieved on 2008-06-07. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1099 - The First Crusade: The Siege of Jerusalem begins
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  24. ^ a b Schaller, p. 291
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  41. ^ Strickland, Debra Higgs; Debra Hassig (1999). The Mark of the Beast: The Medieval Bestiary in Art, Life, and Literature. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 0815329520.  
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  44. ^ Tougias, p. 147
  45. ^ Capstick, Peter Hathaway (1978). Death in the Long Grass. St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0312186134.  
  46. ^ The Spotted Devil of Gummalapur, Nine Man-Eaters and one Rogue, Kenneth Anderson, Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1954
  47. ^ Markus Fumagalli. Panthera pardus: The Leopard. Retrieved on 8 June 2008. Events 68 - The Roman Senate accepts emperor Galba. 536 - St Silverius becomes Pope (probable 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common
  48. ^ Discovery of Early Hominids
  49. ^ Passion in the Desert (1997) at the Internet Movie Database

References

External links

Dictionary

leopard

-noun

  1. A large wild cat with a spotted coat, Panthera pardus, indigenous to Africa and Asia.
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