Amur Leopard
(Panthera pardus orientalis)
Order:
Carnivoria
Family: Felidae
Genus:
Panthera
Species: pardus
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HABITAT AND RANGE:
The Amur leopard, the most northerly
sub-species of leopards prefer mixed
forests. They are now more or less
restricted to the Russian Far East near
Vladivostok, where only 40-60
individuals remain. |
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PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS:
The Amur leopard is among the rarest of
all the leopards. Average size among the
large cats, slender and delicate
compared with the jaguar, but sturdy and
solid compared with the cheetah. The
Amur leopard has a long, thick coat. The
coat is a light straw yellow in the
winter and darker in the summer. There
are large areas of white on the
underside of the body. Spots are large,
black rosettes that may form solid
rings. |
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ADAPTATIONS:
Leopards are nearly always solitary,
except for brief courtships and mating
periods. They are nocturnal, spending
the day resting in branches of trees, or
may lie in ambush for prey. They move
with agility in trees where they often
devour their prey, which at times may be
two times their own weight. |
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DIET:
Leopards will gorge themselves when prey
is caught and may not have the chance to
eat again for several days. Deer, hares,
badgers and raccoon form the bulk of
their prey. |
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REPRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT:
Leopards have no particular breeding
season, and females are receptive at 3
to 7 weeks intervals. Gestation lasts
from 90 to 105 days, after which 2 or 3
blind, furred cubs are born, weighing 15
to 20 ounces. Only the mother cares for
the young which are fully independent
after about one year of age. Cubs leave
their mothers at 18 to 20 months of age. |
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STATUS IN WILD:
Critically Endangered. Deforestation,
the bushmeat trade, the use of animal
parts for traditional medicine and
conflict with humans has had a
devastating effect on the leopard
population. |
