Range:  British Isles.  China, Indo-China, India, Southern Arabia and the southern half of Africa.

Size:  Male approx 2.5 meters including tail.  Female approx2.0 meters including tail.

Weight:  Ranges from 40-80 kilos.

Diet:  Mammals and some birds.  Rabbits would probably be the main diet in the UK.  They will also take Muntjak Deer and Chinese Water Deer.  Sheep are sometimes taken.

Mating:  Non-seasonal, with a gestation period of 90-105 days, birthing  between 1-6 cubs.

Pound for pound the Black Leopard is probably the most evolved predator cat on earth.  Some say, the most aggressive and feared animal in the world.  They are extremely secretive and solitary animals, only coming together to mate.  They are believed to be capable of killing prey up to 550 kilos.  Thier territories, which they patrol with vigour, are about 12 square miles.  This is thought to be greater in the UK.  They are supreme tree climbers and can leap to 6-8 meters up a tree trunk from the ground.

Black Leopards are  not fussy eaters, usually hunting at night or very early in the morning.  They prefer to remain hidden during daylight hours,  resting and sleeping.  A Black Leopard is a spotted Leopard with black fur (see Melanistic).  The spots of the leopard can be seen under the black colour in the right lighting conditions.

The Black Leopard is a rarely seen, and unoffcially recognised species, living and breeding in the UK.  The Black Leopard has a highly proven track record as a man eater.

 ...global distribution of Black Leopard.copyright 2000 Ian WickisonProfile photo for identification Black Leopard pair clearly showing ‘spots’Rare photo, shot by remote camera, showing Black Leopard

These are the most common form of black panther in captivity and have been selectively bred for decades as exhibits or exotic pets (this inbreeding for the sake of appearance has adversely affected temperament). They are smaller and more lightly built than leopards. The spotted pattern is still visible on black leopards, especially from certain angles where the effect is that of printed silk. Skin color is a mixture of blue black gray and purple with rosettes. A black panther (leopard) is able to hunt and kill animals outweighing them by more than 1,350 pounds but this is rare because of competition from tigers and lions.

Black leopards are reported from most densely-forested areas in south-western China, Burma, Assam and Nepal; from Travancore and other parts of southern India and are said to be common in Java and the southern part of the Malay Peninsula where they may be more numerous than spotted leopards. They are less common in tropical Africa, but have been reported from Ethiopia (formerly Abyssinia), the forests of Mount Kenya and the Aberdares. One was recorded by Peter Turnbull-Kemp in the equatorial forest of Cameroon.

Adult black panthers (leopards) are more temperamental (nervous or vicious) than their spotted counterparts. It is a myth that their mothers often reject them at a young age because of their colour. In actuality, they are more temperamental because they have been inbred to preserve the coloration. The poor temperament has been bred into the strain as a side-effect of inbreeding. It is this poor temperament that leads to problems of maternal care in captivity as the proximity of humans stresses the mother. According to Funk and Wagnalls' Wildlife Encyclopedia, black leopards are less fertile than normal leopards having average litters of 1.8, compared to 2.1. This may be due to their high-strung nature.

In the early 1980s, Glasgow Zoo, Scotland acquired a 10 year old black leopard from Dublin Zoo, Ireland. She was exhibited for several years before moving to Madrid Zoo, Spain. This leopard had a uniformly black coat profusely sprinkled with white hairs as though draped with spider webs. She was therefore nicknamed the Cobweb Panther. The condition appeared to be vitiligo and as she aged, the white became more extensive. Since then, other Cobweb Panthers have been reported and photographed in zoos.

jaguars, the mutation is dominant hence black jaguars can produce both black and spotted cubs, but spotted jaguars only produce spotted cubs when bred together. In leopards, the mutation is recessive and some spotted leopards can produce black cubs (if both parents carry the gene in hidden form) while black leopards always breed true when mated together. In stuffed mounted specimens, black leopards often fade to a rusty color, but black jaguars fade to chocolate brown. The black jaguar was considered a separate species by indigenous peoples.

In Harmsworth Natural History (1910), WH Hudson writes:

The jaguar is a beautiful creature, the ground-colour of the fur a rich golden-red tan, abundantly marked with black rings, enclosing one or two small spots within. This is the typical colouring, and it varies little in the temperate regions; in the hot region the Indians recognise three strongly marked varieties, which they regard as distinct species - the one described; the smaller jaguar, less aquatic in his habits and marked with spots, not rings; and, thirdly, the black variety.

SIZES
Length: Head and body 48 inches.  Tail 24 inches.
Weight: 90-150 pounds.

BREEDING
Sexual Maturity: 2.5 years
Mating: Non-seasonal
Gestation: 90-105 days
No. of Young: 1-6 cubs

LIFESTYLE
Habit: Solitary, except in breeding season, when they come together to mate.
Diet: Small Mammals and Birds.
Lifespan: 12 years (up to 20 years in captivity.)

RANGE: Far East in China, stretching throughout southern Africa south of the Sahara. Parts of Arabia. Also a few scattered populations in north Africa. Occupying areas from 4-12 square miles (10-30 Sq. Km.) with overlapping boundaries with other leopards.
ENDANGERED: Today over 100,000 are living in the wild, though dropping rapidly due to human destruction of land.

This is the most aggressive and feared animals. Though dark in color, this leopard still has its rosettes (spots) of fur.

Nearly always hunting at night and early morning, from the tree and the ground. This is the most aggressive and feared animals in the world. Pound for pound, the leopard is the most deadly animal in the world. They are capable of killing an animal up to 1200 pounds and then drag that animal up 30 feet into a tree, before eating its prey.

The black leopard is referred to as the "Panther", but there is actually no animal strictly known as a black panther. There are only two black cats in the world; the black leopard from Asia, and the black jaguar from South America

The word panther, derived from the Latin "Panthera" actually means cat, and is a nick name for any cat, or a black cat as well. Also, Panthera is the family name for all big cats.

With the longest tail of the cat family, the leopard is some what of an acrobat. They can jump as high as 18 feet straight up in the air, 30 feet in a single leap, and move at speeds over 45 miles per hour.

The pictures and the information are amazing, Sid!

You made a great job!

Thanks for sharing!

 
Iain C.

Leopard Cubs

Just hanging out!!!

Snow Leopard

What a beautiful animal.

Snow leopards are my favorite.

I can't believe such a beautiful animal is endanger of extinction.

Rachel W.  

The leopard is the fourth largest cat in the world, after tigers, lions and jaguars, and is the strongest climber among the large cats. It can grow over 6 feet long and can weigh up to 200 pounds. Few other cats are as varied in appearance as the leopard. Coat colors range from pale yellow to bright chestnut and sometimes black, with square and circular black spots.
The leopard is extremely elusive, and is often mistaken for other large cats such as the jaguar and the cheetah.

Leopards live in grasslands and forests throughout Africa, but can adapt to many landscapes. Leopards are nocturnal, solitary animals and are graceful, agile climbers and strong swimmers. Each leopard has a home rage and stealthily patrols this territory at night, marking it with urine and claw marks. Leopards avoid one another, but since territories often overlap, they announce their presence to one another with a raspy growl.

The leopard hunts a wide variety of animals, such as monkeys, rodents, reptiles, birds, fish, and antelopes. It is capable of killing animals much larger than itself. The leopard can run up to 40 miles per hour in short bursts and can jump up to 10 feet in the air. Because the leopard is solitary, animals that kill in groups like hyenas and lions often steal recently killed prey from a single leopard. To avoid this, leopards store their larger kills high in the trees so they can feed on them in safety.

Humans illegally hunt the leopard for its fur and this presents the largest threat to the leopard population, in addition to habitat loss. The ability of the leopard to adapt to multiple landscapes has helped them survive the threat of decreasing habitat better than many other large cats.

Some leopards are solid black as a result of melanism, an increased amount of black pigmentation, and are known as black panthers.

Trees make Leopards one of the deadliest predators, they can hide and stalk and pounce quickly. While in the cover of a tree away from Lions and Hyenias. 

leopard in the wild.The first ever close-up pictures taken by humans were made by t.v show planet earth, although,to this day, very few people have had the privilege of seeing a snow leopard in its native habitat, much less taking its picture. The snow leopards seem to like it that way -- they avoid humans with amazing skill. Their fur contains swirls of gray and black, much like the colors of the rocky outcrops where they live. This coloration provides such good camouflage that a snow leopard can seem to disappear just by staying still.

edit] Where do snow leopards live?

Places colored green are where snow leopards live

Snow leopards live in the high mountains of China and Central Asia, particularly throughout the Himalayas. They typically have a hunting range or territory of 100 square miles (260 square km), because very few prey animals live in the harsh, mountain habitat that is home to the snow leopard.

leopard in the wild.The first ever close-up pictures taken by humans were made by t.v show planet earth, although,to this day, very few people have had the privilege of seeing a snow leopard in its native habitat, much less taking its picture. The snow leopards seem to like it that way -- they avoid humans with amazing skill. Their fur contains swirls of gray and black, much like the colors of the rocky outcrops where they live. This coloration provides such good camouflage that a snow leopard can seem to disappear just by staying still.

edit] Where do snow leopards live?

Places colored green are where snow leopards live

Snow leopards live in the high mountains of China and Central Asia, particularly throughout the Himalayas. They typically have a hunting range or territory of 100 square miles (260 square km), because very few prey animals live in the harsh, mountain habitat that is home to the snow leopard.

What do snow leopards eat, and how do they catch their prey?

Snow leopards are masters of vertical space

Snow leopards eat almost anything they can catch, often hunting animals three times their size. Their main sources of food include wild sheep and goats, pikas, hares, and game birds. In the summer, they eat mostly smaller prey, such as marmots. At other times their prey includes wild boars, gazelles, markhor, bobak, tahr, ibex, bharal, mice, and deer. They stalk their prey and usually begin their attack when they are 20 to 50 feet (6-15 m) away.

The snow leopard's broad paws act as snow shoes and give them traction as they chase their prey across stone, snow, and icy surfaces. They are at their best when they can run across the hard, icy crusts that form above banks of deep snow while their hooved prey breaks through the crust, getting mired in the soft  snow.

Spearing and others hope to conduct further research in the region. One aim is to learn whether the density of the markers snow leopards leave in their habitat—scrapes, pug marks, scats, and scent sprays—can serve to indicate changes in the size of snow leopard populations.

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Morris S.

Thankyou Morris for the amazing photos...

Astrid D.

Here's a link to a video of a snow leopard,enjoy!

http://www.arkive.org/species/GES/mammals/Uncia_uncia/Uncia_uncia_06.html?movietype=rpMed

Though the Snow leopards habitat extends into 12 countries, only 3,000 to 6,000 remain today in the wild. Snow leopards habitat is in central and south Asia, a rugged mountainous region, extends through Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Prey: main prey is that of wild sheep such as Bharal (Blue Sheep) and Argali, goats, including Markhor and Ibex. Other prey taken includes Musk Deer, marmots, various species of hare and birds, it is common, during the harsh winter months for the cat to take domestic livestock.
Thankyou Erika for the Info and photos...   

       My favorite cat!

Sagrada M.

  One of my favourites as well.

Lee K.   

Thank you all for your beautiful pictures!

Astrid D.

 Snow Leopard Cub 3:42 AM

Originally, it was thought that a leopard was a hybrid between a lion and a panther, and the leopard's common name derives from this belief; leo is the Greek and Latin word for lion (Greek leon, λέων) and pard is an old term meaning panther. In fact, a "panther" can be any of several species of large felid. In North America, panther means cougar and in South America a panther is a jaguar. Elsewhere in the world a panther is a leopard. Early naturalists distinguished between leopards and panthers not by colour (a common misconception), but by the length of the tail — panthers having longer tails than leopards.

Although it is common for a leopard to be mistaken for a cheetah due to their spots, they can actually be easily distinguished. The leopard has a heavier, stockier body and has a larger head in proportion to its body, and has rosettes rather than dots. Leopards also lack the black "tear-streak" markings that run from the inner corners of the cheetah's eyes to the corners of its mouth. Additionally, cheetahs run much faster than leopards do and generally do not climb trees, whereas leopards are excellent climbers. Also, leopards are more active at night searching for their prey (nocturnal), whereas cheetahs are usually diurnal.

Particularly in mountainous areas and rain forests occurs a melanistic morph of the leopard, the black panther. The black colour is heritable and caused by only one recessive gene locus. In some regions, for example on the Malayan Peninsula up to 50% of all leopards are black. In Africa black leopards seem to be most common in the Ethiopian Highlands.

Leopards are infamous for their ability to go undetected. They sometimes live practically among humans and are usually still tough to spot. They are graceful and stealthy. Among the big cats they are probably the most accomplished stalkers. They are good, agile climbers, but can not get down from a tree headfirst, because they do not have the ankle flexibility- the only two cats that do are the Margay and the Clouded Leopard. Along with climbing, they are strong swimmers but not as fond of water as tigers; for example, leopards will not normally lie in water. They are mainly nocturnal but can be seen at any time of day and will even hunt during daytime on overcast days. In regions where they are hunted, nocturnal behaviour is more common. These cats are solitary, avoiding one another. However, 3 or 4 are sometimes seen together. Hearing and eyesight are the strongest of these cats' senses and are extremely acute. Olfaction is relied upon as well, but not for hunting. When making a threat, leopards stretch their backs, depress their ribcages between their shoulder blades so they stick out, and lower their heads (similar to domestic cats). During the day they may lie in bush, on rocks, or in a tree with their tails hanging below the treetops and giving them away.

Leopards have difficulty defending kills from large social predators, such as lion or hyena. In areas with large numbers of large predators, they typically store their kills out of reach in trees. Although a leopard caught on the ground will typically try to defend its kill, it will generally find itself outmatched by these predators. If outnumbered, it will abandon its kill and seek safety in trees.

Leopards are truly opportunistic hunters. They will eat just about any animal. Their diet consists of mostly monkeys, rodents, reptiles, amphibians, birds, fish, wild pigs, and ungulates. In fact, they hunt about 90 different species of animals. A solitary dog, itself a formidable predator, is itself potential prey for leopards, although a pack of dogs can tree or drive off a leopard. Their prey ranges in size from a snack of beetles to Antelopes. In Africa, mid-sized antelopes provide a majority of the leopard's prey, especially Thomson's gazelles and reedbucks. It stalks its prey silently and at the last minute pounces on its prey and strangles its throat with a quick bite. Leopards are capable of carrying animals up to three times their own weight into the trees.

Although most leopards will tend to avoid humans, people are occasionally targeted as prey. Most healthy leopards prefer wild prey to humans, but cats who are injured, sickly or struggling with a shortage of regular prey often turn to hunting people and may become habituated to it. In the most extreme cases, both in India, a leopard dubbed "the Leopard of Rudraprayag" is claimed to have killed over 125 people and the infamous leopardess called "Panar Leopard" killed over 400 after being injured by a poacher and thus being made unable to hunt normal prey. The "Leopard of Rudraprayag" and the "Panar Leopard" were both killed by the legendary hunter Jim Corbett.

A male may follow a female who catches his attention. Eventually fighting for reproductive rights can take place. Depending on the region, leopards may mate all year round (India and Africa) or seasonally during January to February (Manchuria and Siberia). The estrous cycle lasts about 46 days and the female usually is in heat for 6-7 days. Cubs are usually born in a litter of 2-3, but infant mortality is high and mothers are not commonly seen with more than 1-2 cubs. The pregnant females find a cave, crevice among boulders, hollow tree, or thicket to give birth and make a den. Cubs open their eyes after a period of 10 days. The fur of the young tends to be longer and thicker than that of adults. Their pelage is also more gray in color with less defined spots. Around 3 months the infants begin to follow the mother out on hunts. At one year of age leopard young can probably fend for themselves but they remain with the mother for 18-24 months.

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Indian Leopard

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Indian Leopard

It has been suggested that there may be as many as 30 extant subspecies of the Leopard. However, modern taxonomic analyses have demonstrated that only 8/9 subspecies are valid ^{[2] [3]}.

• Indo-Chinese Leopard (Panthera pardus delacouri), Mainland Southeast Asia
• Indian Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca), India, South eastern Pakistan, Nepal
• North China Leopard (Panthera pardus japonensis), China
• Sri Lanka Leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya), Sri Lanka
• Java Leopard (Panthera pardus melas), Java
• Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis), Russian Far East, Northern China, Korea
• African Leopard (Panthera pardus pardus), Africa
• Persian Leopard or Iranian leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor), Southwest Asia
• Arabian Leopard (Panthera pardus nimr), Arabian Peninsula; Often included in the Persian Leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor)

Sri Lankan Leopard

Other subspecies under the old taxonomic division:

Today usually included in the African Leopard (Panthera pardus pardus):

• Barbary Leopard (Panthera pardus panthera)
• Cape Leopard (Panthera pardus melanotica)
• Central African Leopard (Panthera pardus shortridgei)
• Congo Leopard (Panthera pardus ituriensis)
• East African Leopard (Panthera pardus suahelica)
• Eritrean Leopard (Panthera pardus antinorii)
• Somalian Leopard (Panthera pardus nanopardus)
• Ugandan Leopard ((Panthera pardus chui)
• West African Leopard (Panthera pardus reichinowi)
•  [report anonymous abuse]

© www.pgoimages.com
Photographer: Per-Gunnar Ostby of www.pgoimages.com



Young Leopard
© www.pgoimages.com
Photographer: Per-Gunnar Ostby of www.pgoimages.com



Leopard Cub
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Photographer: Per-Gunnar Ostby of www.pgoimages.com


© www.pgoimages.com
Photographer: Per-Gunnar Ostby of www.pgoimages.com


© www.pgoimages.com
Photographer: Per-Gunnar Ostby of www.pgoimages.com


© www.pgoimages.com
Photographer: Per-Gunnar Ostby of www.pgoimages.com


Leopard Range (Africa & Asia)

10 - 15 Yrs (Wild)
20 Yrs (in Captivity)

Main Characteristics

The Leopard is the fifth largest feline in the world behind the tiger, lion, jaguar and mountain lion. They have a body length between 0.9 and 1.9 m (3 - 6.25 ft), a tail length between 60 and 110 cms (24 - 43 inches) and they weigh between 82 and 200 lbs).

There can be considerable variations in the size of Leopards due to their distribution and available resources, for example Leopards that live in mountainous regions are smaller than those that live on savannahs due to their prey being smaller. Also typically female Leopards are 20 - 40 % smaller than males.

Leopards are strongly built and have a large head with extremely strong jaw muscles. They are graceful, stealthy animals and they are well known for their ability to go undetected. They are very agile climbers, good swimmers and probably the most accomplished stalker of all the big cats.

Leopards have a light tan base coloured coat with a black rose  [report anonymous abuse]

Habitat

Leopards are the most widespread feline and they can be found in Africa, India, China, Korea and Siberia. They are very adaptable and live in open savannah, forests, jungles and mountainous areas.

They are solitary animals and males have territories between 5 and 40 sq. Kms (3 - 25 sq. miles). They mark the boundaries with urine and are very defensive of them. Their territory will overlap those of several females.

Diet

Leopards are opportunistic hunters and feed on a wide variety of prey. Their diet consists of monkeys, antelopes, gazelles, duiker, eland, impala, wildebeest, jackals, rodents, hyraxes, insects, hares, snakes, birds, sheep and goats.

Leopards stalk up to their prey and launch an ambush, killing with a quick bite to the neck. They are extremely strong and can drag prey up to 3 times their own body weight up into a tree to consume it.

They can live without water for long periods of time, getting all the moisture they need from their prey.

Breeding

After a gestation period of 90 - 105 days, 2 - 4 cubs are born in a den. They are born blind but have their eyes open within 10 days. At 3 months old they are weaned and begin to follow their mother when she goes out to hunt.

The cubs stay with their mother for 13 - 18 months then they leave to find their own territories. Males take no part in the rearing of cubs and 40 - 50 % of cubs do not reach adulthood.

Breeding takes place all year round in the tropical areas but it is seasonal in the savannahs and Leopards have a birthing interval of approximately 2 - 3 years.

Predators

Humans are the main predators of Leopards.

Subspecies

Due to Leopards having such a wide range, they have many subspecies. Some of them are listed below:

African Leopard
Panthera pardus pardus - Africa

Persian Leopard
Panthera pardus saxicolor - Central Asia. Listed as endangered. They are also known as the Iranian Leopard.

Indian Leopard
Panthera pardus fusca - India

Sri Lanka Leopard
Panthera pardus kotiya - Sri Lanka. Listed as endangered.

Indo-Chinese Leopard
Panthera pardus delacouri - Indochina

North China Leopard
Panthera pardus japonensis - China. Listed as endangered.

Amur Leopard
Panthera pardus orientalis or amurensis - Amur Region, border Russia, China, North Korea. Listed as critically endangered. Less than 50 left in the wild. They are also known as the Far East Leopard and the Siberian Leopard.

Javan Leopard
Panthera pardus melas - Java. Listed as endangered. It is a small Leopard and melanism is very common.

Arabian Leopard
Panthera pardus nimr - Arabia. Listed as critically endangered.

Anatolian Leopard
Panthera pardus tulliana - Turkey, Syria and Lebanon. Listed as critically endangered, possibly extinct.

Barbary Leopard
Panthera pardus panthera - Algeria and Egypt. Listed as critically endangered, possibly extinct.

Caucasus Leopard
Panthera pardus ciscaucasica. Listed as critically endangered.

Sinai Leopard
Panthera pardus jarvisi - Sinai Peninsula. Listed as critically endangered, possibly extinct. They are also known as the Eilat Desert Leopard.

Zanzibar Leopard
Panthera pardus adersi - Unguja Island. Listed as critically endangered, possibly extinct.

Panthera pardus millardi - Kashmir

Panthera pardus nanopardus - Somalia & Ethiopia

Panthera pardus suahelica - Eastern Africa

Panthera pardus melanotica - Southern Africa

Panthera pardus sindica - South West Africa

Panthera pardus pernigra - Nepal & Kashmir

Interesting Facts

Leopards can drag up to 3 times their own body weight into a tree and place it on branches over 6 m (19.7 ft) high.

LEOPARD & Predator Conservation

Conservation agencies believe that significant persecution of leopards and other predators still occur in the western region of the Eastern Cape. This Leopard and Predator Project will aim to address this persecution of predators, and leopards in particular, by establishing a predator rescue, rehabilitation, release and research project. Methods of addressing this persecution behaviour will also be investigated, and most importantly incentives will be developed to change this persecution behaviour, through a meat green-labelling initiative.

Leopards are considered by some livestock farmers to be a threat to their livelihoods. Leopards are hunted in an attempt to manage this threat and are unintentionally caught in gin traps and snares set for other predators and game. Other methods of predator control include hunting by dog-packs and poison traps.

In the last 24 months, 12 individual leopards were captured and died in the Baviaanskloof Mega-reserve and Greater Addo Elephant National Park planning domains between November 2002 and October 2004. In this period only two individuals were successfully rescued and released. Of the 12 individuals that are known to have died, only constitute the leopards that the conservation agencies were aware of. It is suspected that there may be significant numbers of leopards that were killed that did not come to the attention of the local conservation agencies.

The leopard is the charismatic top-predator specie in the region and, as a result, its plight captures the attention of the public. Other predator species also suffer similar fates. The lynx, jackal and eagle are some of the other prominent species that suffer ongoing persecution in the area, but almost all predators are relentlessly targeted. In addressing the plight of leopards, significant impact may be made for the conservation of these other predators.

WWF USA has been an initial sponsor of this project through their species programme, and a major South African meat retailer is developing a predator-friendly meat brand as a green labelling product to partner this project.

For more details contact: bool@landmarkfoundation.org.za

LEOPARD & Predator Conservation

Southern Drakensberg Transfrontier Conservation Initiative

Garden Route to Addo Conservation Corridor Initiative

Umzi Wentaba Project - Great Fish River

Health and Environment

Telling the Local Conservation Stories

Landmark Foundation's DIY Insulation Board Project

Humans illegally hunt the leopard for its fur and this presents the largest threat to the leopard population, in addition to habitat loss. The ability of the leopard to adapt to multiple landscapes has helped them survive the threat of decreasing habitat better than many other large cats.

Some leopards are solid black as a result of melanism, an increased amount of black pigmentation, and are known as black panthers.

Nature picture credits (left to right): Photo © Gert Vrey (in tree); Photo © Jim Clark  (profile).

"It's incredible that no-one has ever noticed these differences."

WWF, which maintains a large conservation operation on Borneo, estimates there are between 5,000 and 11,000 clouded leopards on the island, with a further 3,000 to 7,000 on Sumatra.

"The fact that Borneo's top predator is now considered a separate species further emphasises the importance of conserving the 'Heart of Borneo'," said WWF's Stuart Chapman, co-ordinator of a project seeking to preserve the island's wildlife.

The three governments with territory on the island - Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei - signed an agreement earlier this year pledging to protect the "Heart of Borneo", 200,000 square kilometres of rainforest in the middle of the island thought to be particularly high in biodiversity.

Range: Africa and Asia
Habitat: forests, mountains, grasslands, and deserts

Leopards are closely related to jaguars, with a similar body structure. They have flower-shaped spots on their backs called rosettes, with a solid edge and no dot in the center. (Click here to Spot the Coats.) Scientists believe the coloring of spotted cats helps them hide from their What makes a leopard special?

Unlike other cats, leopards are strong swimmers and are one of the few cats that like water. They are great athletes, able to run in bursts up to 36 miles an  [report anonymous abuse]

Leopards have incredible strength. A leopard can climb as high as 50 feet (15 meters) up a tree holding a dead animal in its mouth, even one larger and heavier than itself! They stash food up high so other lions or hyenas can’t get it. Then they can return and eat more. One leopard was spotted dragging a 220-pound (100-kilogram) young giraffe into heavy brush to hide it.

Leopards hunt at night. They use their vision and keen hearing while hunting, not their sense of smell. Leopards monkeys, baboons, reptiles, amphibians, large birds, fish, antelope, cheetah cubs, and porcupines. At the San Diego Zoo, leopards are generally fed a special ground meat diet for carnivores, with an occasional large bone, thawed rabbit, or sheep carcass.

Like all young cats, leopard cubs like to play "stalk, pounce, and chase." Have you ever seen a house cat creep slowly after a bird or mouse? That's stalking. A quick leap and a grab with the claws is a pounce, and the chase comes if the prey gets away. Leopard cubs play by practicing these behaviors on their brothers, sisters, and even on their mother. It's a good way to learn how to survive when they get older.

Leopard-skin coats were legal for many years and are still sold secretly. Many trees in leopard habitats have been cut down for building projects. And poachers are still killing leopards for their whiskers, which are used in some potions. In addition, because leopards prey on livestock, they are frequently poisoned by ranchers trying to protect their animals. All leopard subspecies are either endangered or threatened. The U.S. Endangered Species Act and the Commission on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) help protect leopards, as do wildlife parks in their home countries.

You can join conservation organizations that protect big cats. You can encourage people not to buy or wear fur coats. You can also support efforts to address the impact of the human population on the environment, which is an issue everywhere in the world.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1587/angry_leopard/

NEVER MESS WITH AND ANGRY LEOPARD OR OTHER BIG CAT.

Critically endangered

Panthera pardus amurensis

Amur Leopard at the Philadelphia Zoo

The Amur Leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis or Panthera pardus amurensis) is the rarest subspecies of leopard, and the rarest cat on Earth.^{[citation needed]}. A species of leopard that lives in the northernmost climate, they are facing extinction, as there are less than 40 Amur leopards left living in the wild. Video of the Amur leopard can be seen on the acclaimed television program Planet Earth.