The Leopard whose scientific name is Panthera Pardus is a very feared carnivorous mammalian animal, which is part of the Felidae family, it is native to the Asian and African continents and if you want to know more about its characteristics and customs, we invite you to read this article.
The leopard
As we have already indicated, the leopard is a feline animal, specifically it belongs to the pantherine subfamily and is known because it is one of those that has the ability to roar, just like the lion does, but it is also one of the five species that have survived from the genus Panthera.
Etymology
In ancient times, it was thought that the leopard was a cross between a lion and a black panther, which is why the name leopard was given to it, which is made up of the Greek words leōn, which is literally lion, and pardos, which means panther. male.
Features
The leopard is part of what have been called the big cats, and is fifth in size because they are only bigger than it, the puma, which is not immersed among the big cats, despite being the fourth largest cat, the jaguar, the lion and the tiger, in that order.
It is a hunter who is very agile and stealthy, although it is one of the smallest among the big cats. The leopard is capable of hunting prey larger than itself, due to the structure and strength of its jaw muscles.
amur leopard
It is an animal that has considerable similarities with two felids, which are the jaguar and the cheetah. The cheetah is somewhat similar, but smaller, long and thin, the greatest similarity we will find between the leopard and the jaguar, since the latter is very similar, although the differences can be observed in their sizes, spots, color of the coat, area where they live and hunting methods.
The leopard has a very massive body, it has a round head and a long and stylized tail. Its legs are extraordinarily strong, with the characteristic that it has 4 toes on the hind legs and 5 toes on the front legs, and all of them have claws that are retractable.
Depending on the specimen, they can measure from 91 centimeters to 1,91 meters in length, having to add the size of the tail, which can be between 58 to 110 centimeters, and can reach a height at the withers of 45 to 78 centimeters. Adult males can weigh between 37 and 90 kilos, and females can be between 28 and 60 kilos. In general, its body is long and its tail is the same length as that of a tiger.
The shape of its mottling may depend on the subspecies to which it belongs and the habitat in which it is found. The East African leopard has a tendency to have circular-type spots, while the leopard Leopards from southern Africa have squarer spots, likewise, Asian leopards' spots tend to be larger. But all of them have 30 teeth.
color variants
The leopard, like the jaguar, may exhibit a color change due to a recessive gene. The specimens to which this variation occurs are called black panthers and are absolutely similar to the melanistic jaguar. This color variation is very common in the equatorial jungle of the Malay Peninsula and on the slopes of some African mountains such as Mount Kenya.
There is an unusual melanic variation that was observed in a South African reserve. It is commonly known as the Strawberry Leopard which means strawberry leopard. In this particular case, the leopard found exhibits the symptoms of a probable genetic disease called erythrism, which is a little-known disease, and which has the effect of causing excess reddish pigmentation or low production of dark pigments in the skin. and that's why the leopard looks pink.
Other rare mutations observed with what have been called king leopards, which, like the cheetah, present with pseudo-melanism that alters the color of their skin. In this case, the spots merge, modifying their shapes. An even stranger mutation, but one that does exist, is of the creatures that have been called white panthers, although they are extremely rare.
Food
The leopard is a carnivorous, opportunistic and versatile animal, which may not be large in size, but possesses enormous strength and speed. The usual thing is that it tends to hunt prey that is small or medium in size, but it will not be afraid to hunt prey that is larger than itself.
Its diet is very varied, because it can feed on a greater variety of animals than any individual of the Panthera family. It is capable of hunting and eating everything from insects to eland antelope, usually males, although more often than not it hunts prey that averages less than 200 kilos in weight, which is the equivalent of about 400 pounds. So far it has been cataloged that 92 species of animals are included in their diet.
Their diet is made up of ungulates and primates. Although being an opportunistic animal, it does not mind feeding on fish, amphibians, reptiles, rodents, insects, birds, particularly those that are terrestrial, such as vulturine guinea fowl, and sometimes it hunts other smaller predators such as jackals, martens, foxes and some small cats. It is known that a leopard came to hunt a young Nile crocodile. But those of the Asian continent also feed on cervids such as the chital and the muntiacus.
Its way of hunting is not very elaborate nor does it differ from that of other cats, because it is a solitary hunter. The usual thing is that it stalks its prey very carefully, until it is at a close distance and then it launches itself on it. His method of killing is by strangulation in the throat. In this way he manages to kill antelopes, impalas and even gazelles.
With the intention of protecting the prey he has hunted, he has the habit of climbing them into the trees, in order to prevent other opportunistic predators like him from stealing them. To carry out this activity they have extreme strength, which allows them to carry and climb prey trees that can be twice their size and weight. A leopard was observed climbing a young giraffe up a tree, its prey estimated to weigh around 125 kilos, which is about 280 pounds.
Reproduction
The mating season will depend on the region in which the leopard lives. There are regions where they can mate throughout the year. In the regions of Manchuria and Siberia, they mate only during the months of January and February. Its estrous cycle lasts up to 46 days and the female remains in heat for 6 to 7 days. Gestation lasts for around 90 to 105 days. From each birth a litter is born that can range between 2 and 4 puppies. But pup mortality has been estimated to be between 41% and 50% in their first year of life.
The females usually look for quiet and safe places to give birth, which is why they usually do it in caves, cracks between rocks, hollow trees or thickets. The fur that puppies are born with is usually longer and plumper than that of an adult. At birth, their fur is gray and the spots are not defined.
When the cubs are approximately 3 months old, they begin to follow the mother when she goes hunting. By the time they reach their first year of age, it is very likely that the young will be able to be independent and fend for themselves, but they will continue with their mother for approximately 18 to 24 months.
They are animals that have endured living in captivity. In fact, while they are in captivity, their life expectancy can reach up to 21 years. In some zoos and research centers they have managed to cross leopards with other species and today hybrid species such as the Leopon, the Leojagupardo, the Lijagupardo, the Lepguar and the Jagupardo are preserved.
Behavior
The leopard is an animal that is very elusive and solitary, mainly nocturnal. Although its level of activities will change due to the habitat it is in and the kind of prey it hunts. In a study on radio monitoring and analysis in West Africa, it was possible to show that leopards in the jungle have a tendency to be more active during the day and in the twilight.
These animals love to be up in the trees, eat on top of them and can be seen resting on them. They have been shown to be very good swimmers, but they are not particularly water-loving individuals, as is the case with jaguars and tigers. They are very agile animals, which can run up to 58 kilometers and reach distances of up to 6 meters when jumping horizontally and up to 3 meters vertically.
Conservation Status and Threats
The leopard is included in the IUCN red list, within the category of Near Threatened animal. Other predators have become a threat to leopards, as they compete with them for food and shelter with relative success.
The leopard is not an animal that usually loses in a contest for prey, unless it is attacked by a larger predator or by a pack. The latter occurs with lions and hyenas, which are the most dangerous competitors and not only attack leopards to take their prey, but also to kill their young.
Habitat
The leopard is one of the few big cats that is more adaptable. Except in desert habitats, it can live in all kinds of habitats, as long as there is a place where it can find hiding places and there are enough prey that it can hunt to survive. This kind of animal is present in all kinds of jungles and forests, in the savannahs, in the fields and in rocky places.
Depending on the kind of habitat in which it is found, the leopard manages to develop methods that allow it to avoid other predators that are larger or more numerous, such as what happens with the lion and hyenas in Africa and the tiger in Asia. In reality, the only variable that has managed to affect the leopard in an insurmountable way and has limited it in its habitat is human beings.
Subspecies
Over the years, there may have been approximately 20 leopard subspecies, however, according to the most recent analyzes and advances in DNA studies, many subspecies have been ruled out, including them as individuals that should be within another subspecies and not form a separate one.
To date, only 13 subspecies of leopard are known, one of which unfortunately is already extinct. Some specialists claim that there are actually only 9 subspecies. This is because of the 13 that have been recognized, there are some that are about to lose their individual subspecies category to be included within another subspecies, so they will be discarded.
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