Leopard where he lives. Far Eastern leopard, description, habitat and lifestyle, what it eats, interesting facts, photos, videos. Interesting facts about the Far Eastern leopard

Leopards live in different corners 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 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. IN wild nature there are only about 50 of them.

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.

So leopard...

He is a leopard, he is a panther - he belongs to the cat family. Most often it can live in the Middle East, Southeast, South and West Asia, South Africa and Siberia.

Most often, black leopards can be found in savannas, grasslands and meso forests. And also the favorite places of the so-called African cats are mountainous, bushy and desert areas.

Environment and range

There are 9 subspecies of the black leopard:

• African (panthera pardus pardus) - range of Africa.
• Indian (panthera pardus fusca) - range of India.
• North Chinese (panthera pardus japonensis) - range of northern China.
• Ceylon (panthera pardus kotiya) - range of Sri Lanka.
• Indochinese (panthera pardus delacourii) - the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe south of China and Southeast Asia.
• Javanese (panthera pardus melas) - the range of the island of Java.
• South Arabian (panthera pardus nimr) - range of Arabia.
• Persian (panthera pardus saxicolor) - range of Central Asia.
• Far East (panthera pardus orientalis) - the range of the Korean Peninsula, Northeast China and the Russian Far East.

Females occupy a territory equal to about 4 square kilometers, and males - 12. That is, there are about 3 males per female.

Description

Compared to the long body, the legs of the leopard are relatively short. They have a broad head and a massive skull with powerful jaw muscles. The head is crowned with small round ears. On the eyebrows of wild cats there are long whiskers that protect the eyes from dense vegetation, among which the predator is a big fan of moving. Color from light yellow can reach reddish-orange, depending on the range of the animal. The shape of leopard spots depends on their habitat - in East Africa it is round, in South Africa it is square.

Predators have solid black spots on the chest, legs and muzzle, ring spots on the tail. In babies, the color is solid - smoky gray, no spots are visible on it. The drawing of each individual is unique like a human fingerprint - never repeated. The black leopard or panther is an individual with recessive melanistic genes.

Male wild cats weigh between 30 and 65 kilograms, while females weigh between 16 and 57 kilograms. The length of the first is from one and a half to two and a half meters, the second - from one and a half to two meters.

Lifespan

Under natural conditions, i.e. in the wild, leopards live from 10 to 12 years. In captivity, the life span is much longer, averaging 21 to 23 years. As with all other living beings, there are long-livers here - 17 years is the record lifespan of a wild cat living in the wild and 27 years in captivity.

Unfortunately, African leopard cubs survive only 40-50% of the time.

diet

Mostly these predators prefer to eat ungulates: antelopes, gazelles, wild boars, deer and livestock- this is the main diet of the African leopard. And they can also eat birds, rodents, arthropods, reptiles, carrion. The weight of the prey ranges from 10-40 kilograms.

Wild cats hunt by setting up an ambush - they lie in wait and pounce on their prey - in most cases, the victim does not even have time to react, because this predator sneaks silently like a cat and attacks with lightning speed. The leopard immediately digs into the neck of the victim, which causes instant paralysis in the second, then strangles it and takes it to a quiet secluded place. The great strength of African cats allows them to hunt for prey that is 10 times their weight.

reproduction

Female leopards attract males with pheromones contained in their urine. Calling for mating, the female invitingly walks in front of the male, periodically flapping his tail. Mating lasts an average of 3 seconds, but the number of matings can reach 100 times per day, with an interval of about 6 minutes.

African cats are capable of breeding all year round. The female's estrus lasts 7 days, and the gestation period is 96 days. Usually, females lose the ability to reproduce at the age of 8–9 years.

Babies at birth weigh less than 1 kilogram. The eyes of small leopards open 1 week after birth, at 2 weeks the babies are already learning to walk. Leopards begin to regularly leave the den and eat the food familiar to leopards at the age of 6-8 weeks. Before this period, the mother can leave the cubs, going hunting, up to 36 hours, leaving the cubs in well-protected places. Ends at 3 months of age breast-feeding, and the cubs switch to solid food. At 20 weeks, the cubs usually leave the den, becoming completely independent.

Behavior

• These wild cats are nocturnal predators. They communicate with their relatives with the help of a roar, growl, purr. Like all felines, they mark their territory with urine and claws.
• These predators are able to reach speeds of up to 60 km / h, jump to a height of more than three meters, and make jumps 6 meters long. They have excellent hearing and vision. They feel great both on land and in water.

Leopards are relatively tolerant of humans, but may attack humans when wounded as easy prey.

A very big threat to these predators represents a person- People kill leopards for their valuable fur. Lions, tigers, hyenas and African wild dogs are very dangerous for wild cat cubs.

Leopard numbers are declining in many of their habitats due to fragmentation and habitat loss. Leopards have conservation status"close to vulnerable." Even despite the fact that leopards are the most common predators of all large cats, five of the nine subspecies are already listed in the Red Book and are endangered.

Let's once again appreciate the beauty and grace of the wildlife of our planet. What cats have we already considered:

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Leopard (Panthera pardus), a mammal of the cat family. Complete classification: subtype Vertebrates (Vertebrata), class Mammals, or Animals (Mammalia), subclass Real animals (Theria), order Predatory (Carnivora), family Cats (Felidae), subfamily Felines (Felinae), genus Big cats (Pantera). In our country it is known as a leopard.

A very beautiful cat with an elongated, flexible, slender and at the same time strong body (91-180 cm), rounded head, long tail (75-110 cm), slender, strong legs. Body weight is usually 32-40 kg, occasionally up to 100 kg.
The color is yellow, with one or another shade. On a yellow background with one or another shade (on the body, tail, legs), clearly defined solid and ring-shaped black spots are scattered. The fur of a leopard from tropical countries is thick, but not fluffy, very brightly colored. African leopards have small spots, Asian ones have larger ones. The color of the Central Asian is sandy-grayish, the Far Eastern is reddish-yellow. The fur of the Far Eastern animal in winter is fluffy, thicker, rather dull. Very bright, juicy tones in the coloration of leopards of dense tropical forests.

Leopards do not like water and rain: they hide if it rains. They bury their litter like cats. They know how to sleep on a tree, hiding in the branches. Excellent hearing and vision. The sense of smell is weak. They are born, but very rarely albino leopards and the so-called flavists: for these, as if nature did not have enough black paint - the spots are faded, ocher, chocolate at best. forest leopards the largest of its kind. And the smallest somali leopard.

The leopard lives on a vast territory that exceeds the range of any other member of the cat family. It inhabits most of Africa (except the Sahara), the southern half of Asia, Southeast Europe. Until recently, the leopard was found in the Caucasus, now occasionally appears only in the Transcaucasus, sometimes in Central Asia, and more often - in the southern part of Primorye.

The habitat of the leopard is deaf tropical, subtropical and mixed forests Manchurian type, mountain slopes, plains, savannas, thickets along river banks. It happens that a predator lives near settlements, keeps alone and hunts at night. The leopard climbs trees well, often settling there for daytime rest or in ambush, and sometimes even catches monkeys in trees or hides prey from other predators. However, the main place of hunting is the ground. Yielding in strength to a tiger or a lion, the leopard surpasses them in the ability to silently and deftly sneak up on the victim.

This is a very smart cat. A leopard can wallow in the sun for hours, pretending to be dead, writhing, moaning and pretending to be dying, thereby luring inexperienced curious deer or camels. If the leopard hunts from an ambush, then it makes a huge jump (the height of the jump can reach 5.5 m), falling on the victim’s back, bites on the scruff of the neck and knocks it to the ground. The main prey of leopards are small antelopes, deer, roe deer and other ungulates, but in difficult times it can prey on rodents, monkeys, birds, does not disdain reptiles and insects. Among the leopards there are also cannibals, in the audacity of attacks surpassing cannibal tigers. In India, one leopard killed 125 people in eight years. Another killed 400 people in 77 mountain villages and instilled fear in the locals at night until he was shot dead.

Leopards are usually nocturnal. They usually hunt alone. In the southern regions, leopards breed all year round. On Far East mating takes place in January. Like other cats, leopards arrange fights at this time, accompanied by a loud roar of males, although during normal times the leopard is silent. Pregnancy lasts 3 months, 1-3 cubs appear. They are born blind and helpless. But very soon they begin to see clearly and begin their first sorties for frogs and birdies. By the time they learn to hunt, their eyesight is so sharp that they can see prey 1.5 km away. Young leopards reach full growth and sexual maturity in two years, with females somewhat earlier than males.

IN national park Chitawan in Nepal, a female tiger accompanied by two six-month-old tiger cubs, and a female leopard who gave birth to kittens after tagging were radio-collared. Radio tracing of these two predators was carried out from December to April. Both females stayed in the same area of ​​the riverine forest with tall grass vegetation. The individual territory of a tigress was 9.3 km 2 , that of a female leopard was 8 km 2 . The areas completely overlapped, but the females avoided encounters, although the distance between them was sometimes from 100 to 500 m. woody vegetation, and the female leopard - more open spaces covered with forbs. At the same time, the tiger, except for the night, was active in the cooler morning hours, the leopard - in the early evening.

The number of the leopard is everywhere small, therefore it is included in the IUCN Red List. Recently, the leopard has been one of the favorite trophies of hunters because of the highly prized skin in the fur market.

Amur leopard(Pantera pardus orientalis) is found in the Far East; by 1973, its population was only 20-25 individuals permanently living there, and 18-21 entering from China and Korea. This subspecies is so rare that a rare zoo in the world is honored to have it in its collection. According to the latest data, only 30 individuals of the Amur ( Far Eastern) leopard. Since December 2002, a fundraising campaign has begun to carry out work to preserve this subspecies of leopards. A computer game will be released, playing which it will be possible to set the desired strategy for the survival of the Amur leopard. It is assumed that one of the winning strategies will be taken as the basis for the real restoration of the subspecies.

The harsh conditions of the region with cold snowy winters and a limited food base did not allow the Amur leopard to have a more or less significant number, and in recent decades active human economic activity is steadily pushing it away from its original habitats and has 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 dies and the food supply 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 a leopard in the Ussuri Territory was a small a region of southwestern Primorye with a length of about 200 kilometers from the Razdolnaya River to the 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.

Persian leopard(Pantera pardus ciscaucasica) has a population of no more than 10 individuals in the Caucasus (or maybe it does not exist at all), and in the Kopetdag - 10. The place of life of the Persian leopard is Armenia, Afghanistan and Iraq. Now about two thousand individuals live in the wild, in 72 zoos of the world - 174. In the summer of 2007, three Persian leopard kittens were born in the Budapest zoo: 2 females and a male.

Even in the last century, the Persian leopard could be found in all mountainous regions of Turkmenistan, southern Uzbekistan, southwestern Tajikistan, as well as in Iran, Turkey and some regions of the Caucasus. At that time, the range of the leopard was several million hectares, now it has decreased to 600-800 thousand hectares. In some areas, the leopard has completely disappeared, in others its numbers are very low. Even in areas where the leopard still lives - in the Kopetdag mountains in Turkmenistan - it faces the problem of a lack of food resources - wild ungulates, which makes it hunt domestic animals and thus come into conflict with the local population.

Until 1940-1950, when the number of the leopard fell sharply, its population in the Western Kopetdag was relatively stable. By the beginning of the 1990s. the population has been greatly reduced following the decline in the populations of animals that serve as the main objects of its food - argali, bezoar goat and wild boar. There was a real threat of the population splitting into isolated groups and even its complete disappearance, as happened with the population of the Turanian tiger.

clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), contrary to its name, has nothing to do with true leopards. It is distinguished by significant morphological and ecological originality and occupies an intermediate position between small and large cats. The pupil of a clouded leopard is not round, like in big cats, but ovoid. In addition, the larynx is arranged like that of small cats. He is able to purr like small cats. Sometimes it is isolated in a separate genus (Neofelis).

The clouded leopard has a body length of 62-106 cm, a tail (60-90 cm) long. The mass of this predator is in the range of 16-30 kg, so it cannot be attributed to big cats, but it is the largest representative of medium-sized cats. It has an elongated, flexible body, short legs, with wide paws and hard bare calluses, convenient for climbing trees. Thick coat of grayish or yellowish color is decorated with an elegant pattern of wide and narrow marks in the form of circles, rosettes, ovals, the rear edges of which are outlined more distinctly than the front ones, which enhances the effect of coloring. Very beautiful black marble pattern on a bright yellow or yellow-gray background. The chest and belly are light or white with a few spots. Dark brown or black elongated spots on the neck and back. The tail is heavy, furry, painted with non-contiguous black rings. The eyes are yellow.

The skull of the clouded leopard is elongated, which distinguishes it from other cats. Its fangs are larger than those of other cats in proportion to body size. Sometimes it is referred to as modern "saber-toothed". He eats deer, large cattle, goats, wild pigs, reptiles, birds and monkeys. It can hunt both day and night, tracking its game on the ground or overtaking it in a jump from a tree.

The range of the clouded leopard is South Asia from Nepal, Sikkim, South China south to Sumatra and Kalimantan. Habitat - primeval rainforests, thickets of bushes, swamps. The clouded leopard spends most of its time in the trees. It hunts mainly at night more often for birds, but also attacks monkeys, pigs, sika deer, goats, porcupines. Sometimes it jumps on its prey from branches hanging above the ground, but often hunts right on the ground.

In total there are four varieties of smoky leopards. Their color varies from darkish yellow-brown (in the southern part of the range) to light yellow (such are found in southern China).

Pregnancy of females lasts 86-92 days. There are from 2 to 5 kittens in a litter. Cubs are born in hollows, they develop relatively slowly. Clouded leopard is a rare animal, it is listed in the IUCN Red List.

Identified in 2007 the new kind clouded leopards in Sumatra and Borneo. The discovery was made by genetic scientists from National Institute cancer in the United States (US National Cancer Institute) and a group of representatives of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). So far clouded leopards have been classified as belonging to a species found in mainland Southeast Asia. Scientists now believe the two species diverged over a million years ago and have evolved separately ever since.

clouded leopard(Felis nebulosa) Borneo islands - the most large predator territory, in size it is similar to a small leopard. Its weight is about 20 kg, and the body length is 1.6-1.9 m, with the tail occupying almost half. The fact that the species separated was established by scientists at the National Cancer Institute in the United States using a DNA test, which showed about 40 differences between them. Another confirmation was obtained in the study of the characteristics of animal fur. Leopards from Borneo and Sumatra have small "clouds" with many distinct points in them, gray or dark fur, and double stripes along their backs.

The spots are separated from each other by thin stripes of bright brown (slightly reddish) wool. The spots of mainland leopards are large. In addition, the animal is much lighter in color, the main range of Asian leopard fur is brown-yellow. Their mainland counterparts have dark spots on their skins with smaller, often faintly distinguishable points, their fur is lighter and its color is more reddish-brown. According to WWF, there are between 5,000 and 11,000 leopards living on the island, and, in addition, from 3,000 to 7,000 animals are found in Sumatra.

mountain leopard lives in the Alps. There are literally units of this subspecies in the world. On May 14, 2003, a short story was broadcast on television that one copy of the mountain alpine leopard was acquired by the Buenos Aires Zoo. For moments of the plot, it was possible to note a short body, thick, long, fluffy, spotted hair. This should be the case for animals living in harsh alpine conditions. I was struck by the extreme cuteness and meekness of the cat. A species of mountain leopard is found in the mountains of Africa.

IN tropical countries sometimes there are dark-colored leopards, which are called black panthers. If you look closely, you can see even darker spots on a black background. The fact that the panther and the black leopard are the same species, scientists have established quite recently. Black panthers are commonly found in Java. Black individuals can be born in the same brood with normally colored cubs.

The main victims of the leopard are roe deer, medium-sized antelopes, deer, wild boars, monkeys, and hares. The average prey weight is usually 25 - 50 kilograms, but the leopard is able to crush a horse, zebra, cow and even a gorilla. And with all this, he is not averse to eating locusts, voles or frogs. And you can imagine - it catches and regales itself with fish!

In Primorye, until the beginning of the 20th century, his favorite prey was sika deer and goral. Now these animals in the wild have become very rare, but there are many deer in fur farms. And the predator uses every opportunity to get into the park of the reindeer farm and take his soul on his favorite hunt. The leopard is a smart animal, he understands well how a visit to reindeer farms can end, and yet he goes for it.

The leopard has delicate hearing and sharp eyesight, and he sees well in seemingly impenetrable darkness. With its bright coloring, the supercat is perfectly camouflaged on the ground. In a rare clear forest, you can walk past a motionless animal lying a few meters away and not notice it. He invisibly sneaks even in the grass 30-40 centimeters high, as if pressing himself into the ground. Its coloring masks it especially well in autumn or in drought, when yellow and brown leaves and withered grass are everywhere.

Even an experienced and sharp-sighted local hunter often cannot notice a leopard lying motionless in a fork in a tree or on a thick sunu - the beast merges with the general background of the tree bark, flickering in the sun's glare. Only the tail betrays the supercat: she forgets about him, and he hangs down, and when the beast is worried, the tip of the tail moves.

Like the tiger, the leopard has an irresistible hatred for jackals, wolves, dogs and a passion for their meat.

A large hungry leopard can eat a medium-sized prey in two days, and a well-fed leopard can eat it for almost a week. Uneaten hides in reserve. In Africa and South Asia, this beast, fearing jackals, hyenas and other lovers of preying on strangers, usually drags its prey onto a rock or into a fork in a large tree and settles here on its own.

But here's another mystery: the leopard finishes its large prey on the fourth or fifth day, when it is already fetid. He does not shun carrion, and if another predator tastes the prey during his absence, the leopard no longer touches it. Pride? Disgust? Unknown.

Leopard - a thunderstorm of monkeys. Monkeys, chimpanzees, and all monkey relatives are terribly afraid of not only a living predator, but even its stripped cords. What can you do: they are not always able to escape from his swift throws even in the trees. When the supercat walks through the forest, the monkeys, having climbed to the tops of the trees, raise an unimaginable hubbub. Baboons - large, bold and strong monkeys - are constantly wary of the leopard: the herd at the crossing holds a circular defense, and the guards are vigilantly guarding it when feeding and resting.

Our distant ancestors also often died in the claws of a leopard. Maybe that's why this beast is not afraid of people now. Do not believe the often found reports in the scientific literature about the cowardice of the leopard. Cowardice and prudent caution are not the same thing and should not be confused. The leopard is precisely insanely bold and at the same time cautious. In pursuing prey, it sometimes comes close to settlements, but from meeting with modern man began to evade, without showing haste and nervousness. There were attacks of leopards on people, but almost all of them were caused by persecution i.e. attacks on a person were directed by the person himself: like the tiger, the leopard does not tolerate this, he is too proud and independent.

Throughout the range, the leopard is protected and listed in the international Red Book; the main threat to it is associated with changes in natural habitats and a reduction in food supply. The trade in leopard skins, once a serious problem, has now faded into the background, and the main concern is the poaching of animals for the needs of oriental medicine. The survival of the species can only be guaranteed by large reserves.

The lion and tiger are relatives of the leopard, but the closest of them in origin, appearance and the way of life of 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, brother leopard and New World supercat.

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.

Yielding to a lion and a tiger in size, the leopard wins with agility and swiftness of movements. He perfectly climbs trees, rocks and feels no less free there than on the ground. His reaction is instant, the attacks are lightning fast, he does not know fear. And it is not for nothing that many scientists and famous hunters consider the leopard to be the most perfect of cats - a supercat.

HERE showed a lot. Look who hasn't seen it, you won't regret it.

Tigers and jaguars belong to a kind of "elite" of the cat family - to the genus of panthers. These small, but graceful and strong cats are easily recognizable by their beautiful spotted skin, but you can’t call it the main distinguishing feature. It turns out that the black panther is still the same leopard, but with slight mutations in color. In addition, cheetahs can boast of a spotted fur coat. Leopards also have a habit of dragging their prey up trees and do it with extraordinary ease.

Among leopards, 9 subspecies are distinguished, which differ from each other in the color of the main background and the location of the spots.

The habitat of leopards is so vast that it is second in area only to the habitat of a domestic cat. Previously, these animals could be found on a vast territory, including almost the entire African continent, except for the Sahara desert (African leopard), Western Asia and Transcaucasia (Persian and Arabian leopards), India (Indochinese and Indian leopards), China (Northern Chinese and Far Eastern leopards) , Indonesia, Pakistan (Indian leopard), Java Islands (Javanese leopard), Zanzibar and Sri Lanka (Ceylon leopard). Now these numerous areas have decreased by almost 2 times.

Depending on the species and continent, these cats prefer different habitats. So, the African leopard is found both in wild jungle as well as in semi-deserts and savannahs. He avoids dry areas. The Asian and Far Eastern subspecies prefer various forests in highlands and plains.

Leopards are smaller than lions and tigers. The body length without a tail is from 90 to 190 cm, with a tail - all 150 - 300 cm. The height of males at the withers reaches 50-78 cm. The weight of males does not exceed 75 kg.

These large cats have a more elongated and slender body, making their gait seem light and even a little airy. Females are distinguished from males only by their smaller body size and the structure of the skull.

Leopards are famous all over the world for their spotted color. So, on a general light yellow or red background, hundreds of dark spots of various shapes and sizes are scattered almost throughout the body. The location of the spots can be solid or in the form of ring figures. The basic background of each subspecies is slightly different. This coloring serves as an excellent camouflage for predators during the hunt.

Thick coat may vary slightly depending on the time of year. In the Far Eastern leopard, in winter it becomes a little longer - up to 5 cm and paler, and in summer - shorter, about 2-2.5 cm and brighter. The greatest number of spots is located on the back and sides. The drawing of each cat is individual. It's like a person's fingerprints.

Probably, each of us has heard about black panthers, but not everyone knows that a black panther is a melanistic leopard (dark-colored individual). Color change is the result of mutations. But even in black panthers, if you look closely, in some places you can distinguish darker spots. This natural mutation is more common in individuals living in forest areas South-East Asia.

Black kittens can be born not only in black leopards, but even in ordinary spotted leopards.

They are most active at night. It is during this period that these graceful predators go hunting. Leopards feed on various medium-sized ungulates: deer, antelope, roe deer and other animals. In the "lean period" they do not disdain rodents, and, and carrion. They often attack livestock (most often while grazing on pastures), but they prefer not to approach too close to human settlements.

These cats are solitary by nature, but can also live in pairs. They climb trees with incredible ease and often settle there for daytime rest or for ambush. But for the most part they prefer to hunt on the ground. To do this, they use one of two main techniques: sneaking quietly or ambushing.

In order for the prey to remain intact and safe, leopards prefer to drag it into the trees. This procedure is done with incredible ease, as if not lifting 50-60 kg, but a bag filled with straw.

mating season in various habitats begins at different time, for example, in the southern regions it lasts almost all year round, and in the northern regions it begins late autumn or early winter. At this time, males become quite aggressive and often arrange “wedding” fights over females, but without fatal outcomes.

Pregnancy lasts only 3 months. Before giving birth, the female goes in search of a suitable den for her future kittens. 1-2 cubs are born, which are raised exclusively by the mother. Male kittens are not allowed. He lives near the brood, but visits him infrequently. The cubs grow very quickly and after 2-2.5 years they become sexually mature. They begin to acquire their families at the age of 2-3 years.

In the wild, the life expectancy of leopards is approximately 12-15 years, while in captivity - all 24.

Like all big cats, leopards can represent for humans mortal danger. Extremely rare, but it happens. The reasons for attacking a person can be different:

1) wounding an animal while hunting it;

2) wounds from porcupine quills (the injection sites begin to fester strongly and ache terribly, as a result of which the animal loses its former mobility and cannot keep up with frisky prey);

3) old age (in old individuals, too, the strength is not the same as before).

The most famous man-eating leopard was the leopard from Rudraprayag (Northern India). The events took place in the 1920s. He killed 125 people. For eight years he kept the area at bay. At first, the leopard lay in wait for night walkers on forest roads, and then began to break into dwellings. In 1925 he was shot dead.

Now the number of these beautiful animals is declining every year. As a result, 5 subspecies were included in the IUCN Red Book, and the Far Eastern leopard was also listed in the Red Book of Russia. In Russia, since the 16th century, leopards living in the Caucasus region have also been called leopards.

Leopards belong to the cat family, a subspecies of the big cats of the panther genus. It is one of the most common felines after the domestic cat. Although some of the subspecies are almost extinct and listed in the International Red Book, there are quite thriving subspecies, such as the African leopard.

Description of the leopard

The leopard is a rather large cat weighing from 30 to 75 kg. There are also larger individuals weighing up to 90 kg. Body length 90-180 cm without tail. Tail from 75 to 110 cm. Height at the shoulders 80-90 cm.

The structure of the skull is massive, elongated, slightly low. The zygomatic arches are not widely spaced, the nasal bones taper behind. In the oral cavity, like most cats, 30 teeth. Each jaw has 2 canines and 6 incisors. Leopards have a rather long tongue and, like all cats, it is equipped with special tubercles that help separate meat from bone and wash themselves.

The physique of the leopard is elongated and flexible. Paws are strong and slender, with curved and very sharp claws, up to 55 mm long. The fur is thick, but not fluffy, tightly attached. IN winter time in animals living in colder climatic conditions, the coat becomes longer and has a duller color.

Color may vary depending on. Leopards living in the northern regions of the range have a bright red, yellow-gray or light yellow coat color. The fur of African leopards is red-brown or yellowish.

In addition to the main color tone, the entire body of the leopard is covered with small black or brownish spots. Each leopard has its own pattern and spotting. Spots can be either circular or solid. Asian leopards have larger spots, while African leopards have smaller spots. Among leopards there are melanists, who are often called black panthers. Although the skin of a black leopard is not completely black, spots always appear on it, as if with a pattern. Most melanistic leopards live on the island of Java and the Malay Peninsula, but are also found to a lesser extent in India and Africa. Black individuals are not uncommonly born in the same litter with spotted cubs.

Leopard lifestyle

Leopards lead a solitary lifestyle. Their usual day: sleep, hunting and unhurried walks around their site. predominantly 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.

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.

Population status and protection of leopards

Five subspecies of leopards are endangered. The main reason for the decline in the leopard population is changes natural environment habitation, reduction of food resources, as well as poaching.

The number of the Far Eastern leopard as of 2007 was about 34 individuals. By the beginning of 2015, there were already about 57 of them.

Also, some of the subspecies are listed in the IUCN Red Book and the Red Book of Russia.