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 The
leopard is mentioned throughout the history of the world with attributes of
power, fearlessness and intelligence. In ancient Egypt, the goddess Osiris
represented the leopard, thought to have been a cross between a lion (Leo)
and a black panther with no spots (pard). King Nimrod of Babylon was so named
because he used a tame leopard as his aid as he went out on the hunt (Nimrod =
Leopard tamer). Nimrod went as far as to dress himself in leopard skins and
obtained the name " the subduer of the spotted one" and later
"the spotted one himself". In China the leopard stands for all that is
warlike and fearless, the characteristics attributed to the spotted one.
There
are altogether 27 species of Panthera documented across the globe and this does
not even include the "primitive" species of leopard from
prehistoric times. Taxonomic research is ongoing to determine the exact number
of species as it is believed by some scientists that there are really only 8
subspecies of Panthera instead.
Based
on the fact that the leopard has been and is a prominent part in many different
cultures, it comes as no surprise that the leopard is the most widespread
species of the family Felidae. They are spread out over most of Central and
South Africa, as well as greater parts of Southeast Asia, the Middle East, the
Far East and the island of Java.
The
leopard belongs to the roaring cat family which also includes lion, tigers,
jaguars, clouded leopards, snow leopards and marbled cats. They are successful
hunters and easily adapt to new environments and circumstances which is why they
have managed their survival across several continents very well. Nevertheless,
the U.S. Endangered Species act has listed leopards on the African continent as
"Threatened" (South Africa) and "Endangered" (the rest of
Africa and Middle East & Asia). CITES is the agency that classifies species
internationally and has listed the leopard as "vulnerable". Since
there are however 27 species of leopard, it must be said that some of the
species are close to extinction (for example: Persian Leopard).
The
habitat of the leopard varies with their location. In general, they are not
found in desert areas unless there are some seasons with heavier rainfall but
they are mostly found in thick forest areas, plains, mountains, and savannah and
are known to adapt well and venture into human-populated areas. They have been
found up to 5,700 meters in mountainous areas and have been found in the
Himalayans up to 17,000 ft. co-existing with the snow leopard.
The
weight of a leopard varies widely but generally ranges between 150 lbs and 200
lbs for males, between 80 lbs and 150 lbs for females. The color of their coat
varies with their habitat: Paler colors are found in the drier and savannah type
regions and deeper colors in the wetter and more forested areas. The color
ranges from a pale yellow-ochre color to a deep golden color with a spotted
pattern that is different, like a fingerprint, for each individual animal. The
rosettes, as the spots are referred to, are more round in Eastern African
leopards and more square in Southern African leopards. The leopard is not be
confused with the jaguar, for which the rosettes have an additional spot in the
center of them. The jaguar is only found in South America. Unlike the jaguar,
the spots on a leopard are either closed or open and no additional spot can be
found inside the open rosette.
 Black
or melanistic leopards are common and often erroneously referred to as
"black panthers". The truth is however that they are not a panther and
that all black panthers are actually black leopards. If you look at a
black leopard in the sunlight, you will find that the coat color is actually a
very dark brown and that the spots are very visible throughout the animal. A
panther is really a cougar species and, unlike popular belief, melanistic
cougars do not exist in the wild. Melanistic jaguars exist also but again, they
are only found in South America.
The
reason why black leopards are common mostly in Asia, is that, this coat color
provides good camouflage at night or in deeply forested areas in particular.
In drier, more desert-like areas, the golden color is more prominent and gives
better camouflage.
Like
most cats, the leopard is a solitary and nocturnal predator, that distinguishes
himself by an unmatched intelligence displayed in their hunting behavior.
Nocturnal animals tend to have proportionally bigger eyes than diurnal animals
and humans do. They also tend to have pupils that open more widely in low light,
this basically means that their eyes gather more light than other animals. Their
vision allows them to stalk their prey in the middle of the night and then leap
on top of them, killing by a single but fatal bite to the neck with their
powerful jaws. The strength of the jaws and teeth, enable the leopard to
kill and carry a prey twice their weight for miles and up a tree where the meal
is devoured without any threat from other predators on the ground, which is why
they are so successful in their fight for survival.
Males
and females only come together to mate and try to avoid each other as much as
possible outside of mating season. The males generally have a larger territory
than the females do and they move around it constantly, never staying in one
place for more than 2/3 days. They tend to cover a lot of ground as they mark
their territory both by urinating and rubbing their scent on brush and trees.
They are nomads.
When
the females give birth, it is usually to two or three cubs at a time. The female
will hide the cubs in a den for about 8 weeks until they are able to venture out
with her. She will not travel until the cubs are big enough to follow her. The
cubs are a smoky gray color when they are born and have no clear spot definition
for about 3 months. She will suckle the cubs for about three months even though
she will bring them meat as early as when they are 6 weeks old.
Their
diet exists mostly of small to medium-sized animals like antelopes, gazelles,
wild goats, sheep, deer, pigs and domestic livestock. In addition, they
are able to adjust their prey preference depending on availability and manage
well on a diet of birds, reptiles, hyraxes, baboons, monkeys and domestic
dogs. As you can tell, some of those preferences include prey that are found in
human-populated areas which means danger for the leopard.
In
many human-populated areas, the leopard is feared as a "man-eater".
Though it may be true that the leopard is capable of killing a human, they
usually target the domestic live-stock instead. Efforts are underway to trap and
relocate the animals that venture into villages and townships but many times
they are victims themselves by being shot or poisoned by poachers and humans
protecting their livestock.
The
leopard is being threatened by habitat destruction and humans moving into their
territory. Their beautiful coat is a commodity fiercely sought after by poachers
and, as with all endangered species, the leopard is fighting for it's survival
in the wild.
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