[103][104] In western African forests, they have been observed to be largely diurnal and hunting during twilight, when their prey animals are active; activity patterns varies between seasons. Melanism in leopards is inherited as a recessive trait relatively to the spotted form. [125], Resource partitioning occurs where leopards share their range with tigers. [151], The leopard is primarily threatened by habitat fragmentation and conversion of forest to agriculturally used land, which lead to a declining natural prey base, human–wildlife conflict with livestock herders and high leopard mortality rates. [111] The leopard is distinguished by its well-camouflaged fur, opportunistic hunting behaviour, broad diet, strength, and its ability to adapt to a variety of habitats ranging from rainforest to steppe, including arid and montane areas. They live in sub-Saharan Africa, northeast Africa, Central Asia, India, and China. [40] Interbreeding in melanistic leopards produces a significantly smaller litter size than is produced by normal pairings. [154] During the Benin Empire, the leopard was commonly represented on engravings and sculptures and was used to symbolize the power of the king or oba, since the leopard was considered the king of the forest. [28] However, no significant association were found between a conspicuous colour of tail patches and behavioural variables in carnivores. Its fur is marked with rosettes. [51] The leopard's rosettes differ from those of the jaguar, which are darker and with smaller spots inside. [162] Man-eating leopards are considered bold and difficult to track and may enter human settlements for prey, more so than lions and tigers. [142], Depending on the region, leopards may mate all year round. Between January 1996 and March 2009, leopards were photographed at 16 sites in the Malay Peninsula in a sampling effort of more than 1,000 camera trap nights. China is one of the most influential countries for our conservation efforts, as it contains as much as 60% of all snow leopard habitat areas. Leopards are a very adaptable species that can live in very different habitats and distribution ranges; they have evolved particular characteristics that help them make the most of their environment. They are more commonly found in the Himalayan mountain range, but frequent other Asian mountain ranges as well. They were common near villages at the periphery of the park and outside the park. "Phylogenetics, genome diversity and origin of modern leopard, "The current distribution and status of leopards, "The Leopard in the Arabian Peninsula – Distribution and Subspecies Status", "Description of some new species of Mammalia", "The late Miocene radiation of modern Felidae: a genetic assessment", "Phylogeny and evolution of cats (Felidae)". [27][32] In some regions, they are nocturnal. [143] Gestation lasts for 90 to 105 days. [68][69] Females continue to interact with their offspring even after weaning, and have been observed sharing kills with their offspring when they can not obtain any prey. [86], In Nepal's Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, a melanistic leopard was photographed at an elevation of 4,300 m (14,100 ft) by a camera trap in May 2012. [15] The word λέοπάρδος originally referred to a cheetah. Outside protected areas, leopards were recorded in mixed agricultural land, secondary forest and production forest between 2008 and 2014. We'll also talk more about leopards and their natural habitat and distribution. It is considered to be extirpated in North Africa. In other words, it belongs to the family of cats. [45], In India, nine pale and white leopards were reported between 1905 and 1967. [9][126] Leopards generally seem to avoid encounters with adult bears, but kill vulnerable bear cubs. Leopards are small but mighty big cats that are found across the globe. Snow leopards can be found throughout high mountain ranges, including the Himalayas and the southern Siberian mountains in Russia. [18] The specific name Latin: pardus refers to a male panther. Most healthy leopards prefer wild prey to humans, but injured, sickly, or struggling cats or those with a shortage of regular prey may resort to hunting humans and become habituated to it. [134] In tropical forests, they do not always avoid the larger cats by hunting at different times. [26] Territories recorded in Nepal's Bardia National Park, 48 km2 (18 1⁄2 sq mi) for males and 5–7 km2 (2–2 1⁄2 sq mi) for females, are smaller than those generally observed in Africa. [35], The maximum weight of a wild leopard is about 96 kg (212 lb), recorded in Southern Africa. This hybrid came to be known as a leopon. They occur in a wide range of habitats; from deserts and semi-desert regions of southern Africa, to arid regions of North Africa, to savanna grasslands of East and southern Africa, to mountainous environments on Mt. Until 1940, similar fossils dating back to the Pleistocene were excavated mostly in loess and caves at 40 sites in Europe, including Furninha Cave near Lisbon, Genista Caves in Gibraltar, and Santander Province in northern Spain to several sites across France, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Germany, in the north up to Derby in England, in the east to Přerov in the Czech Republic and the Baranya in southern Hungary,[76] Leopard fossils dating to the Late Pleistocene were found in Biśnik Cave in south-central Poland. [55] The snow leopard's vocalizations include meowing, grunting, prusten, and moaning. [120] Leopards also kill smaller carnivores like black-backed jackal, bat-eared fox, genet and cheetah. [17] The phonetically similar Sanskrit: पाण्डर (pând-ara) means pale yellow, whitish or white. Neofelis diverged about 8.66 million years ago from the Panthera lineage. In southern China, leopards were recorded only in the Qinling Mountains during surveys in 11 nature reserves between 2002 and 2009. However, the leopard is a vulnerable species. [29] Surveys conducted at the beginning of the 21st century revealed that the ranges of both species overlap in this region, especially in protected areas where ungulate densities are high and human disturbance is low. Scientists believe that in nations like Egypt extinction is quite likely. The Ancient Romans kept leopards in captivity to be slaughtered in hunts as well as be used in executions of criminals. It is not clear if male territories overlap as much as those of females do. [150] The generation length of the leopard is 9.3 years. The leopard is very adaptable and can live in many different places across the globe. [101][102], Leopards are active mainly from dusk till dawn and rest for most of the day and for some hours at night in thickets, among rocks or over tree branches. The Zanzibar leopard was officially declared extinct 25 years ago, but the classification has been called into question after a wildlife biologist caught the elusive predator on camera. [89], In Sri Lanka, leopards were recorded in Yala National Park and in unprotected forest patches, tea estates, grasslands, home gardens, pine and eucalyptus plantations. They most closely resemble the jaguar but they are smaller and lighter than jaguars and the rosettes on their fur are smaller and closer together. Juveniles have woolly fur, and appear to be dark-coloured due to the densely arranged spots. It kills small prey with a bite on the back of the neck, but holds larger animals by the throat and strangles them. While luxury establishments may boast the fact that wild animals can be seen at close range on a daily basis, the leopard's camouflage and propensity to hide and stalk prey typically make leopard sightings rare. A study by the Nature Conservation Foundation found that 357 leopards were captured in Karnataka by the Forest Department between 2009 and 2016 … Leopardos could be a compound of λέων (leōn), meaning lion, and πάρδος (pardos). [119], Prey as heavy as a 550 kg (1,210 lb) giraffe is hunted, especially in areas that lack larger carnivores such as lions or tigers since they do not need to drag prey up trees to retain it. Its pupils are round. [26] In a South African reserve, a male was wounded in a male–male territorial battle over a carcass. [157] The coat of the leopard has been popular decorative clothing and a symbol of power, wealth and the exotic, being worn by African chiefs, European queens, Hollywood film stars and burlesque dancers. [135] 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. It is also threatened by trophy hunting and poaching. The tiger diverged about 6.55 million years ago, followed by the snow leopard about 4.63 million years ago and the leopard about 4.35 million years ago. [90][91], In Myanmar, leopards were recorded for the first time by camera traps in the hill forests of Myanmar's Karen State. Researchers in South Africa have found evidence of seven "strawberry" leopards, adding to just a handful of documented cases of these ultra-rare big cats. [144] Cubs are usually born in a litter of 2–4 cubs. He also lived at the Warsaw Zoo and was Bertie's lifelong companion. Leopards have been crossbred with other big cats, Where Do Lemurs Live? ", "Increasing game prices may alter farmers' behaviours towards leopards (, "Status of the Arabian leopard in Saudi Arabia", "Living with Leopards Outside Protected Areas in India", "Notes on the diet and habitat selection of the Sri Lankan Leopard, "First structured camera-trap surveys in Karen State, Myanmar, reveal high diversity of globally threatened mammals", "Effects of human–carnivore conflict on tiger (, "Habitat preferences and activity patterns of the larger mammal community in Phnom Prich Wildlife Sanctuary, Cambodia", "Activity patterns and home ranges of Indochinese leopard, "Identifying priority conservation landscapes and actions for the Critically Endangered Javan leopard in Indonesia: Conserving the last large carnivore in Java Island", "Spots, stripes, tail tips and dark eyes: predicting the function of carnivore colour patterns using the comparative method", "The adaptive significance of coloration in mammals", 10.1641/0006-3568(2005)055[0125:TASOCI]2.0.CO;2, "Hunting behaviour in west African forest leopards", "Spacing and activity patterns of leopards, 10.2981/0909-6396(2005)11[145:SAAPOL]2.0.CO;2, "Leopard predation and primate evolution", "Leopard predation on giraffe calves in the Etosha National Park", "Water-use by southern Kalahari leopards", "Interspecific killing among mammalian carnivores", "Food habits of sloth bear in Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary, Tamil Nadu, southern India", "On the ecological separation between tigers and leopards", Blog: Leopard kills cheetah in the Mara and hoists it up a tree, Roxanne, oldest spotted leopard in captivity, dies at Acreage preserve, "Nie ma już lampartów cejlońskich w warszawskim zoo …", "Co w zoo? 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