Leopards

Leopards are the members of the big cat family and are commonly identified by their yellow fur and black spotted coat. The leopard gets its name since it was once believed to be a mix of lion and the pard, hence leopard. Today, this big cat is found in the regions of Africa, Arabia, India, east and Southeast Asia. Leopards have been a victim of hunting and poaching for centuries for their beautiful spotted coat and have also been used ornamentally.

Physical Characteristics

Leopards have a yellow-colored coat which varies according to the species with it being lighter in color in dry regions to dark orange in areas with dense forests. Their coat has dark, black spots all over it shaped in a pattern called rosettes, which help them camouflage better in the wild. Another variation of the leopards is the Black Panther or the Black leopard. These are born due to an excess of melanin due to a recessive trait in the gene of the parents. They have black spots just like the leopard but also have a black coat, which helps them be invisible during a night hunt. Other than the color of the coat, all other features remain the same. The male leopards weigh somewhere between 37 to 90 kg with their length being 3.0-6.3 ft and the females weigh between 28-60 kg with their length also being 3.0-6.3 ft excluding the tail which can grow up to 1.9-3.6 ft in length.

Habitat and Distribution

The scientific name of the leopard is Panthera pardus, and is today found in the regions of Africa, Arabia, India, east and Southeast Asia. The Panthera pardus has 9 subspecies namely:

• Panthera pardus delacouri or the Indochinese leopard is found in the region of South-East Asia and southern China.
• Panthera pardus fusca or the Indian leopard is found in the Indian subcontinent region.
• Panthera pardus japonensis or the North Chinese leopard is found in China.
• Panthera pardus kotiya or the Sri Lankan leopard is native to Sri Lanka.
• Panthera pardus melas or the Javan leopard is from the island of Java in Indonesia.
• Panthera pardus nimr or the Arabian leopard is found in the Arabian Peninsula.
• Panthera pardus orientalis or the Amur leopard is from the regions of Eastern Asia from the Russian Far East to China.
• Panthera pardus pardus or the African leopard is native to Africa.
• Panthera pardus saxicolor or the Persian leopard is found in the countries of Turkey, Caucasus, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Leopards are capable of living in a variety of regions such as savannas, mountain regions, tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, and from regions with extreme rainfall to extremely dry lands.

Diet and Hunting

Leopards are carnivorous creatures that eat a variety of meat depending on what is available. They have been known to eat rodents, hares, warthogs, antelopes, and baboons, deer, wild pigs, dogs, and may also consume birds and fish. Leopards have strong shoulder muscles which make them powerful climbers and help them climb on trees where they spend most of their time. After a hunt, they would then climb up the tree with their kill to keep it away from other predators and scavengers. Their dotted coat helps them blend in with the surrounding landscape and hunt prey. The Black Panther’s monochromatic coat also helps it blend in the dark of the night when the nocturnal being is out on a hunt, using the genetic mutation to its advantage.

Reproduction and Lifespan

There is no fixed season for mating and can happen throughout the year. The females give birth to a litter of 2 to 3, with the gestation period lasting for approximately 3 months. The cubs are born blind, and it takes up to 6 to 10 days for their vision to get clear. Cub mortality remains high within the first year of birth and the highest during the first 3 months. The cubs continue to live with their mother for an average of 2 years during which they learn how to hunt, after which they venture out of the litter.

Life expectancy of leopard’s averages between 10 to 12 years in the wild which can go up to 23 years in captivity, under human care.

Behavior and Social Structure

Leopards are solitary creatures except when interacting with their mothers, cubs, or during the mating season. The leopard cubs stay with their mother until the age of 2, after which they attain independence and set out in search of a new territory. Leopards, especially male are territorial in nature and will mark their territory using urine and claw-marking the trees. Conflicts between leopards can arise if their territories overlap, though territories of male and female leopards may overlap without hostility. Males tend to have bigger territories than females and most likely will include a number of females within their territory.

Conservation Efforts

Main threats to leopards are mainly due to hunting and poaching. Leopards are also hunted for their beautiful skin which are traded for and their canines. In cases of human-wildlife conflict, some are even killed to prevent loss of livestock. Other than these other causes for their decline include loss of habitat due to human encroachment and deforestation and shrinking of their prey base. According to the IUCN’s Red list, leopards have been marked as vulnerable species. International organization working for leopards, especially in Africa is the African Wildlife Foundation. Worldwide Fund for Nature-India and Wildlife SOS are organizations that work for the conservation of leopards in India. Wildlife SOS is a non-governmental organization that is based in Maharashtra and often works in collaboration with the forest department of the state.

Amazing Facts about Leopards

• Leopards love trees! They spend their day resting on the tree branches and after a hunt carry their kill up the tree to protect it from other predators.
• Leopards are the smallest of the 5 big cats, which include Tigers, Lions, Jaguars, Cheetahs, and Leopards.
• Leopards can leap up to 6 meters in length forward.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many species of leopards exist today?

Today, there exists 9 species of leopards worldwide, namely:

• Panthera pardus delacouri or the Indochinese leopard.
• Panthera pardus fusca or the Indian leopard.
• Panthera pardus japonensis or the North Chinese leopard.
• Panthera pardus kotiya or the Sri Lankan leopard.
• Panthera pardus melas or the Javan leopard.
• Panthera pardus nimr or the Arabian leopard.
• Panthera pardus orientalis or the Amur leopard.
• Panthera pardus pardus or the African leopard.
• Panthera pardus saxicolor or the Persian leopard.

What habitat do leopards need to survive?

Leopards are capable of living in a variety of regions such as savannas, mountain regions, tropical rainforests, deciduous forests, and from regions with extreme rainfall to extremely dry lands.

Where can you find leopards in India?

You can find leopards in the protected reserves of:

• Ranthambore National Park
• Bandipur National Park
• Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve
• Satpura National Park
• Nagarhole National Park

What do leopards hunt?

Leopards are carnivorous creatures that eat a variety of meat depending on what is available. They have been known to eat rodents, hares, warthogs, antelopes, and baboons, deer, wild pigs, dogs, and may also consume birds and fish.

How long do leopards live?

Life expectancy of leopard’s averages between 10 to 12 years in the wild which can go up to 23 years in captivity, under human care.

How are leopards, cheetahs and jaguars different?

Leopards, Cheetahs, and Jaguars may look similar, but they are different types of wild cats. Here’s how you can differentiate between them:

• Jaguars are the biggest of the three with a robust build, muscular limbs, and a short, stocky body. They have large heads and relatively short tails.
• Cheetahs are leaner and have long legs and slim bodies.
• Leopards are the smallest of the three with longer legs and smaller head than the Jaguar.

The coats of leopards and jaguars both have rosettes, where leopards have smaller rosettes and jaguars have larger rosettes with dots in between them. Cheetahs only have black spots on them and no rosette patterns.