Leopard
The leopard (Panthera pardus) is one of the five extant species in the genus Panthera, a member of the Felidae.The leopard occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia. The leopard is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red Listbecause leopard populations are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, and are declining in large parts of the global range. In Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuwait, Syria, Libya, Tunisia and most likely in Morocco, leopard populations have already been extirpated. Contemporary records suggest that the leopard occurs in only 25% of its historical global range.Leopards are hunted illegally, and their body parts are smuggled in the wildlife trade for medicinal practices and decoration,More info:wiki
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#10 Leopard print belongs on leopards,More info:andbeyond
#9 Leopard mothers show flexible child care,More info:sciencemag
Leopard mothers face a dilemma familiar to human moms: Just when is the best time to let their kids leave home? The answer varies, according to 40 years of data on leopard families collected from a game reserve in South Africa. Some mothers chased off their cubs as early as 9 months after birth, researchers report this month in the Journal of Animal Ecology, whereas other cubs were allowed to hang around as long as long as 35 months. The cubs did fine either way, the team found, though mothers who spent more time with their cubs tended to have fewer litters in the long run. Either way, sons seem to get a bit more attention than daughters, the team found: The mothers allow males to stick around for 2 months longer, on average.
#8 South Africa Prohibits All Leopard Hunting for 2016,More info:time
#7 Indochinese leopard,More info:wikipedia
#6 Ranger’s 3-Year-Old Son Killed After Leopard Dragged Him Off into Bush at Safari Lodge in Uganda,More info:people
#5 LEOPARD,More info:nationalgeographic
Leopards are powerful big cats closely related to lions, tigers, and jaguars. They live in sub-Saharan Africa, northeast Africa, Central Asia, India, and China. However, many of their populations are endangered, especially outside of Africa.
You can identify most leopards by their light color and distinctive dark spots. Those spots are called rosettes, because they resemble the shape of a rose. These patterns camouflage their bodies as they move through the grass and trees. Black leopards, which appear to be almost solid in color because their spots are hard to distinguish, are commonly called black panthers.
#4 Three Subspecies of Snow Leopard Revealed,More info:sci-news
The snow leopard is most closely related to the tiger (Panthera tigris), having diverged over 2 million years ago.
It inhabits a vast area of 0.6 million sq.miles (1.6 million sq.km) across 12 countries in Asia.
It is a high-altitude animal that occupies mountains primarily between 0.9 and 2.8 miles (1.5-4.5 km), with confirmed sightings to 3.7 miles (6 km) in the Himalayas. This region is characterized by low oxygen levels, temperature extremes, aridity, low productivity, and harsh climatic condition, yet harbors many distinctive species.
The snow leopard is the largest carnivore in its habitat in many areas, and faces threats including low prey densities, retaliatory killing by farmers and herdsmen in response to livestock depredation, illegal wildlife trade, climate change, and development of roads, rails, mining, and hydropower facilities.
#3 Facts about leopards,More info:swaindestinations
A leopard may not be able to change its spots but its spots vary from region to region. The snowy leopard of Russia has thick golden fur and large spots while the African leopard varies in color from gray to deep gold with small spots.
The most widespread big cat
The leopard is the smallest of the “big cats” (the other 3 are the tiger, lion and jaguar). The leopard once inhabited terrain as diverse as semi-arid savannahs, snowy mountain peaks and jungles from the Far East to Africa.
#2 LEOPARD,More info:dkfindout
#1 Why does a leopard need its spotted coat?,More info:scienceline.ucsb
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