Generally speaking big cats are 1) Wild and 2) Considerably bigger than the small domestic or wild cats (a Siberian tiger for instance may be up to 100 times heavier than our 8 pound domestic feline). Other commonly used classifying method is the ability to roar. Big cats have an elongated larynx and elastic hyoid bone that enables them to roar (and prevents them from purring). Small cats are the opposite. Their hyoid bone is ossified, thus they are unable to roar, and may only purr.

Other interesting difference is the shape of pupils. All big cats have round pupils and small cats, apart from lynx, have slit-like pupils (exaggerated in bright light). Also big cats usually consume their meals lying down, apart from snow leopard, whereas cats – as we all know- eat in a sitting position!
Many of the earlier classifications used to include only four species: Tiger, Lion, Jaguar and Leopard into big cats. However, today big cats are expanded to include also Cougar, Snow Leopard, Clouded Leopard and Cheetah.

Despite significant differences in size in all the big and small cats, all felines are remarkably similar in their basic body make-up and sensory perceptions. They have similar attributes and hunting and behavior profiles in most cases. They are in short a true representation of Nature’s masterwork in creation. With grace and elegance, big cats are master predators and hunters!

Leopards have short legs, long body and large skull in comparison to others members of the cat family. It resembles jaguar but is smaller and somewhat slightly built. The body fur is marked by rosettes similar to that of the jaguar but the rosettes are somewhat smaller and are more densely packed and lack the central spots as the jaguars possess. Jaguars and leopards both are melanistic and are commonly called as black panthers. Leopards are popular for their opportunistic hunting behaviour as they are having the ability to adapt to a wide variety of habitats and are capable of running with extremely fast speed which may be 58 kilometers per hour and are capable of climbing the trees swiftly even when carrying a heavy carcass. They are also notorious thieves and can steal the prey within a minute. It can easily catch and consume any animal it hunts. It is available from the rainforests to the desert terrains.

Taxonomy and Evolution

In the earlier times it was believed that leopard is the hybrid of lion and panther. The generic name Panthera pardus is taken from a Greek word which means spotted fur. Like all other members of the Felidae genus Panthera is also a subject of debate and the exact relations between all the four species including the snow leopard and the clouded leopard is still a mystery. It is believed that the members of the family Felidae evolved about 11 million years ago. The last ancestor of lion, tiger, jaguar, leopard, snow leopard and the clouded leopard made its existence about 6.37 million years ago on the planet earth. A study conducted by Yu and Zhang on the mitochondrial DNA in 2005 shows that the leopard is very closely related to the snow leopard. Johnson et al., also supports this view as they conducted a study in 2006. It is believed that leopard originated in Asia and later on migrated to Africa. About 27 subspecies of leopard were suggested during the 18th century. But later on only nine sub species were recognized.

Physical Characteristics

Leopard is a agile and stealthy predator. Although it is smallest among the other members of the genus Panthera but it bears a massive skull with strong and powerful jaw muscle. The body is comparatively long and the legs are short. The head and body length is about 125 cm and 165 cm. the tail length is about 110 to 160 cm. the height of the shoulders is about 45-80 cm. the muscles that are attached to the scapula are extremely strong and are responsible for providing the ability to the leopard to climb trees. The size of the adult leopards varies among the members of the family. It has been reported the males are 30% larger in size as compared to the females. The average body weight of males is about 30 to 91 kg while that of the female is 3 to 60 kg. The males of the Kruger National Park, South America are reported to weigh 91 kg while those that are found in the coastal mountains of South Africa are smaller and weigh about 30 kg only. This variability in body weight may be due to the differences in the habitats. The leopards of the Middle East are also smaller in body size.

Leopards may be sometimes confused with other cat members like the cheetah and the jaguar. The three can be distinguished by the pattern of the spots. The cheetah has small, simple and densely packed spots while the jaguars have small spots inside the rosettes. The leopards have smaller and rounder rosettes in comparison to that of the jaguars. The leopards are larger and much stronger than the cheetah but they are smaller in size as compared to the jaguars and lightly built. Leopards also show wide variation among the colour of the fur as well as the pattern of rosettes. The leopards of the East Africa have circular rosettes while those of the South Africa have square shaped rosettes. The colour of the coat is cream coloured of more pale in the desert populations and those of the colder climates have shades of gray. The species dwelling in the rainforests have more golden coloured coat. The coat under the belly is generally lighter in colour and the spots or the rosettes are often seen on the face and the legs.

Colour Variation

The mountainous regions and the rain forests house a melanistic form of the leopards. The colour of the fur is black and is inherited by the offspring and is basically caused by the recessive gene loci. These forms are called as black panthers. The melanistic leopards are common to the Malayan Peninsula and according to a report of 2007 all the leopards of the Taman Negara National Park were melanistic. The advantage of such melanism may be helping in protection but exact reason is not clear. It has also been believed that melanism helps in strengthening the immune system in an unknown way. In Africa the black leopards are less common and their black colouration seems to have no role in their protection while the black leopards are very much common in the Ethiopian Highlands. Pseudo-melanism or abundism has also been noticed in case of leopards. The pseudo-melanistic leopard has the normal background colour but the spots are more densely packed and merge together to match with the golden brown colour. The face and the under parts are as usual as in the normal ones.

Behaviour and Biology

The leopards are known to be experts in climbing the trees and are often seen resting on the branches of the trees. They are often noticed to climb rapidly over the trees with prey in their grip and are also seen enjoying their prey on the branches. They are also masters in swimming but not as great in comparison to other members of the cat family. They can run with a speed of about 58 kilometers per hour and are having the leaping capacity of 6 meters and jumping horizontally ability of 3 meters vertically. They perform a number of activities like roaring, grunting, growling, meowing and sawing sounds. Leopards are nocturnal creatures easily studied in the open savannah habitats. The leopards inhabiting the rain forests of West Africa are diurnal and crepuscular. The leopards inhabiting in the forests are known to exhibit specialization in the prey selection and seasonal activity patterns.

Diet

Leopards are dynamic and opportunistic hunters seen hunting in the open savannas between the sunrise and the sunset by taking the advantage of the bushes and the cloudy sky. The leopard stalks near its prey very silently and then grabs its throat and the neck region. They are often seen to carry their prey over the branches of the trees to enjoy it in a relaxed mood. They are capable of taking the prey about three times heavier than their own body weight swiftly to the tree branch. The leopards are the only known big cats that are capable of taking the prey to the branch of the tree. The dietary demand of the leopards and the diversity of prey are extremely elaborate in comparison to other species of the genus Panthera. The leopards are known to prey on smaller animals like the dung beetles to large size animals including the ungulates, monkeys and also they prefer to feed on rodents, amphibians, fishes, birds as well as reptiles. In Africa the chitals, black bucks and the antelopes form the favourite food of the leopards.

Reproduction and Life Cycle

The mating cycle of leopards continues throughout the year or seasonally during January and February depending upon the regions. The female stays in the receptive condition for about 7 days and the estrous cycle lasts for about 46 days. The gestation period is of 90-105 days. The cubs are born in groups of 2-4 and only 1 or 2 survive after the first year as the mortality rate is 40-50%. The cubs are born in the caves, dens or under crevices. The eyes of the cubs are closed when they are born and the eyes take 4-9 days to open. The coat of the young ones is stronger and thicker in comparison to that of the adults. The colour of the fur is paler with lesser number of spots. When the cubs are three months old they start following their mother during the act of hunting. At the age of one year they become completely independent and are able to feed and defend themselves on their own but they tend to remain with their mother for about 18-24 months. The life span of the leopards is noted to be around 21 years in captivity. The home range of leopards is about 30-78 kilometers which includes 15-16 females. Leopards are solitary and apart from mating and hunting they are also known to participate in aggressive encounters. Leopards are known to survive to a temperature range of 25°C.

Ecological Significance

Leopards have been observed to compete for food and shelter with other predators like the lions, tigers, spotted hyenas and both African and Asiatic wild dogs. The predators may also cause damage to the young cubs or they may often kill the cubs. Even a tiger or a lion can kill a leopard. Leopards have adapted certain features to remain protected from these terrific enemy and they often avoid those areas which are frequently visited by these predators. They often climb on the trees in order to protect themselves but the lions often get successful in snatching the preys taken by the leopards to the trees.

Hybrids

Cross breeding between the leopards and other members of Panthera has resulted in the production of hybrids. A cross conducted between a male leopard and a female lioness resulted in the production of the offspring what we call a leopon. Leopons are produced under captivity and are surviving in the Koshien Hanshin Park in Nishinomiya, Japan in the late 1950s. A cross between the male jaguar and a female leopard results in the production of jagupard and the reverse cross results in the production of lepjags. A cross between a puma and the leopard is called as pumapard.

Relationship with Humans

Leopards are the source of strength and have been used by human beings since time immemorial in the art, mythology and culture. Leopards as pets have been used by certain kings of the olden times. Many national parks and sanctuaries have been established all over the world which are providing not only protection to these species but are also a source of earning good currency. Generally leopards avoid killing human beings but loss of habitats and insufficient quantity of prey compels them to attack human beings.

Leopards are the beautiful creatures which make our environment beautiful and we must take care of these animals which are on the verge of extinction.

Now here’s a great idea! Using Google maps to identify the location of news stories about snow leopards in China. Juan Li, a young Ph.D. student  has created this Google map of snow leopards reported during the 20 year period of 1990-2009 by searching the Google News Archive.

She says”  I am a Ph.D candidate of conservation biology, in Center for Nature and Society, Peking university. And my supervisor is Lu Zhi.

I did this map, just because I wanted to know more about snow leopard in China. And Google Alerts is a simple and easy way to collect the information. But Google Alerts did not provide the auto-link to the Google map. So I have to map the news manually. And I will keep this map updated.

I don’t mind you put it on your website, which is a really great website for snow leopard. Thank you. All the best wishes!”

Thanks to you Juan Li, this is a very clever idea and it’s good for researchers and people interested in snow leopard conservation in China that you’ve committed to updating it. We’ll publish it on a regular basis.

–

The Padmaja Naidu Himalayan Zoological Park in Darjeeling, northern India has launched a two year project to research the nocturnal behavior of its snow leopards by keeping the animal under infra-red camera surveillance. The zoo, which has had a successful breeding program for many years, currently has six female and five male snow leopards. The most recent births were 3 cubs born in April 2009 to Neeta (female) and Karan (male).

]]> http://secrets-of-cats.com/snow-leopards-on-surveillance-project-in-darjeeling-zoo/feed 1 http://secrets-of-cats.com/can-ecotourism-help-save-snow-leopards http://secrets-of-cats.com/can-ecotourism-help-save-snow-leopards#comments Fri, 20 Aug 2010 15:12:25 +0000 admin http://secrets-of-cats.com/can-ecotourism-help-save-snow-leopards KarmaQuest’s snow leopard ecotour saw a wild snow leopard in Ladakh, India. Photo by Brian Keating.

Yes, we believe it can. To share  information on snow leopard ecotourism I’ve added a page about travel and conservation companies offering  trips to snow leopard regions. There’s  information on what ecotourism trips offer, what you can expect if you go on a snow leopard ecotour and how such trips contribute to local community conservation and snow leopard conservation. Checkout the Ecotourism page and some of the travel companies offering snow leopard trips. Biosphere Expeditions / KarmaQuest / Wildlife and Nature Travel /

–

Video on the work of the Altai Foundation, which was founded in 2004 to protect Russia’s wilderness areas. It works with its US partner, the Altai Conservancy, to collect scientific data of wilderness areas and supports anti-poaching efforts to protect the last snow leopards.

–