Animal Fact Sheet
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 Amur
Leopard
Pardalis orientalis
What does it look
like?
Leopards' beautiful, spotted coats vary in back groundcolor from
yellow to gray. Striking black spots are grouped in clusters or
rosettes across their pale coats. The backs of their ears are black
with white markings in the center. More commonly occurring in southern
Asia than Africa, some leopards are completely black, and are known
as black panthers.
- Leopards are average size among the large cats, slender and
delicate compared with the jaguar, but sturdy and solid compared
with the cheetah
- Their head and body lengths reach between 38 to 60 inches,
tails are from 24 to 38 inches; and they may weigh from 65 to
200 pounds.
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| Where
in the world?
Leopards live in wooded savannas and forests at various altitudes,
as well as rocky semi-desert areas near scrubby vegetation in Africa,
south of the Sahara, and southern Asia. Leopards are the most widespread
member of the cat family, largely due to their highly adaptable
hunting and feeding behavior.
What are some behaviors?
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.
What about offspring?
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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What
does it eat?
As carnivores, their preferred prey include small antelope, hares,
warthogs, and ground birds, but they will eat most species of monkeys,
especially baboons. Leopards adapt quite well to living in places
inhabited by man and will prey on livestock
These cats catch a great variety of small prey
by a combination of opportunism, stealth and speed. Because of the
variety and smaller size of their prey, leopards avoid strong competition
with lions, tigers, hyenas, and African wild dogs, which depend
on larger prey.
Is it threatened
or endangered?
Yes, endagered. Leopards continued survival is precarious. They
are hunted for their beautiful coats, to reduce loss of livestock,
as well as for sport. In Africa, the leopard is one of the "big
five" most highly-rated prey for Western sport hunters along
with the lion, buffalo, elephant and rhinoceros.
The Living Desert holds this Asian subspecies
in order to work with the American Zoo and Aquarium Assiciation's
Population Management Program (PMP). |
