|
Life Span:
|
They live about 10 years in the wild and about 20 in captivity.
|
|
|
Size:
|
The overall size of the leopard depends very much on the subspecies and location, with the largest
animals growing to a length of nearly 5 feet with an additional tail length of some 3 feet -
generally the male is between 20-40% larger than the female.
|
|
|
Color:
|
Background color is highly variable, from sandy yellow to rusty orange. Black spots sometimes
clustered in rosettes. It has very distinct dark markings on its coat which varies in base color
from yellow through shades of brown.
|
|
|
Physical Description:
|
With a body length of about 5 ft and a 3 ft tail, the leopard might weigh up to 200 lb.,
Leopards are very muscular, agile tree-climbers, and they spend considerable time in trees.
Leopards can easily haul prey weighing 2 to 3 times their own weight high into the branches
of trees, where they can enjoy their meal without being harassed by other predators. Its coat
has a base color of tawny-yellow with black rosette spots. The leopard has a harsh coughing
roar, swims and leaps well, and is an opportunistic hunter catching and eating small mammals,
including monkeys, giraffe calves and rodents, and even insects.
|
|
|
Distribution:
|
Leopards can be found across most of sub-Saharan Africa, in a few parts of far northern Africa,
across the Middle East and east from the Caspian sea to eastern China and South East Asia, they
also occur on the island of Java in Indonesia. In recent historical times the Leopard, like the
Lion, included much of Europe in its distribution, however intense competition with humanity for
living space drove both species to extinction in Europe before the time of Christ. Most of sub-Saharan
Africa, the Middle East, India, China, Siberia, and southeast Asia. The range of leopards is still
almost as large as it once was, however there are fewer leopards within the range.
|
|
|
Habitat:
|
Leopards are found nearly anywhere there is sufficient food and cover, including wooded savannah,
temperate and tropical forest, and desert. These cats range from deep forest to near desert, in
mountainous areas that are lightly wooded. They are very wary and elusive
|
|
|
Primary prey:
|
Leopards are generalist predators that eat all sorts and sizes of prey, ranging from small
mammals and birds to young giraffes. Most often, they prey on medium-sized ungulates,
such as deer and gazelles.
|
|
|
Conservation Status:
|
The IUCN currently lists the leopard as "least concern."
|
|
|
Principal threats:
|
Lack of prey; persecution by livestock ranchers; illegal hunting.
|
Back to the Leopard Page 