Description of the leopard. How much does a leopard weigh?

Leopard- a colorful, graceful, incredibly majestic and cunning feline.

This one is fast and very careful, with a strong, muscular and strong body. Her vision is excellent. The leopard sees perfectly at any time of the day. The animal's claws and teeth are amazingly sharp.

The length of the leopard reaches from 80 to 180 cm. The female usually weighs 50 kg, and the male 70 kg. It has a long tail, which can sometimes give away their location because the leopard cannot press its tail, which is 75-110 cm long.

The most important advantage of the leopard, which distinguishes it from all other animals and helps it to be less noticeable, is its fur. It is a beautiful mottled color, with a predominance of white, black and brown.

There are animals from the leopard genus that have a high pigment content in their fur; they are black or dark brown. They are called . To date, leopards have been brought into. They are an endangered species and are protected.

Features and habitat of the leopard

Leopard animal lives throughout Africa and Asia, the north Caucasus Mountains and Amur taiga. Savannah, mixed forests and the slopes of the mountains - here favorite places these beautiful animals.

For a leopard, adapting to a particular environment is not difficult. In Africa, they thrive in jungles, savannas, semi-deserts and mountains. They also feel good and comfortable in coniferous forests and dense tropical and subtropical mixed forests and mountain slopes of Asia.

Photo of a leopard shows all its greatness and beauty. Looking at them, you understand very well what a strong animal this is. His gaze, fangs and claws inspire unprecedented fear. But along with this, an incredible desire arises to touch this incredibly beautiful fur, even for a split second.

The character and lifestyle of the leopard

In the animal world, leopards, like many other predatory animals, they prefer to live alone. The only exception is during marriage.

Just like many other predators, leopards prefer to lead nightlife. During the day, they climb a tree and rest quietly until dusk. They are excellent climbers. And with great ease they can jump onto a tree or rock about 5 meters high.

Any creature can envy leopards' keen vision and keen hearing. The darkness, in which it will be difficult for a person to navigate, is not scary for them; they see everything in it perfectly. Thanks to their ideal protective coloration, leopards can easily camouflage themselves in natural environment. Even very experienced hunters sometimes find it difficult to spot them.

Only the tail, which always hangs involuntarily from the tree, gives away the location of the leopard. And when he is excited, his tail also moves, which is even more striking. Leopards are a terrible threat to... As soon as they notice the familiar color, they climb to the very top of the trees and make a wild noise.

And the largest baboons are also wary of encounters with leopards. They prefer to post guards who will watch so that the spotted enemy does not approach.

Agile, secretive and strong, the adult leopard has virtually no enemies. Its main competitors are lions, hyenas,... They can steal their prey, which the leopard most often hides in a tree.

In the photo, a leopard hides its prey on a tree

Leopards rarely attack people. Most often, this only happens if the leopard is provoked or injured. But people for them are a direct and immediate threat.

Leopard fur has long been valued; a little later it began to be caught for use in medical purposes. And only thanks to the fact that the leopard is listed in the Red Book, open hunting for it stopped.

Types of leopards

There is more than one type of animal leopard. They are mainly classified according to their habitat. Mountain leopard. You can meet this animal in the Alps. There are literally only a few of them around the world.

An animal with a short body and thick, long, fluffy and spotted hair. An extremely cute and gentle animal. Its variety can also be found in the African mountains.

Pictured is a mountain leopard

Another bright and endangered species - amur leopard, animal, which is also called differently Amur leopard. Due to the harsh habitat, this graceful and graceful cat is becoming less and less numerous.

Forest fires, cold and snowy winters, and frequent poaching of these animals have a detrimental effect on their development and numbers. There is only one reserve in which the Far Eastern leopard has been created favorable conditions. But the area of ​​this reserve is so small that the reproduction of this species of leopard occurs very slowly.

Pictured is an Amur leopard

African leopard animal prefers to live closer to bodies of water, but can also rise high above sea level - up to 5000 meters. They live unevenly across Africa. The West is not interesting for them; they can most often be found in Morocco and the Atlas Mountains. In semi-deserts, leopards often attack, which is why farmers do not like them.

African leopard has a pale yellow or dark yellow color with black spots throughout the body. On inside tail fur is white. It has a small head and strong limbs. Leopards are all very nimble and fast animals. They can reach speeds of up to 60 km/h.

Nutrition

The main and favorite food of these predators are deer and antelope. The leopard lies in wait for its prey near ponds, jumps into its neck and thus kills it.

These animals hide their prey high in the trees. They can lift up a carcass three times their size. If one of the competitors touched their food, they will no longer eat it. It happens in hungry years that the leopard hunts birds and monkeys. Sometimes it even feeds on carrion. When meeting a fox and a wolf, he simply kills them.

Leopards can steal each other's prey from trees. It usually takes a large leopard two days to eat large prey. This is how a hungry animal eats. A well-fed leopard deals with its prey within five or seven days.

Leopards, to some extent, clear the environment of weak animals. A kind of natural selection occurs with their help.

Reproduction and lifespan

It is interesting to watch these animals during the rut. Each male tries to win the most beautiful female and prove that he is the one worthy of her. This is determined by their fights and competitions with each other.

As soon as their breeding season arrives, leopards that prefer solitude take off. The den is landscaped by the female. She chooses a place away from prying eyes in crevices, caves or holes under trees.

The female's pregnancy lasts approximately 90 – 110 days. After this, from one to three babies are born, who are completely blind and helpless. They can be spotted or pure black, depending on the presence of pigment.

Only the female raises the babies, but the male is always next to them. Young leopards live with a female from 1 to 1.5 years. During this time, she manages to put them on strong paws and teach them all the tricks of their habitat.

When they reach 30 months, leopards leave their parents' den and begin to lead an independent lifestyle. Animals of the Red Book leopard- this is one of the the most interesting miracles nature, which we, people, need to preserve at all costs.

One of the most colorful, graceful, majestic and cunning animals of the cat family is the leopard. He is very careful and fast, he is distinguished by his strong, muscular, strong body and sharp vision. Leopards see perfectly in any light, and their claws and teeth are amazingly sharp. But the most important thing distinguishing feature this type of predator, which simultaneously serves an excellent remedy for camouflage, this is its coloring. The leopard's spotted fur is predominantly white, black and brown colors. Now leopards are listed in the Red Book as an endangered species that is protected.

Leopards are big cats, but they are smaller than tigers and lions. They have an elongated, muscular body, slightly compressed from the sides, light and slender, very flexible, with a long tail. The limbs are short, strong, with powerful and wide front paws. The head is small, round in shape with a convex forehead, small ears, rounded, set wide. The eyes are small. Manes and long hair no on the neck or cheeks. Vibrissae are black and white, up to 110 mm in length.

The body size and weight of a leopard depends on the region where it lives: forest dwellers are usually smaller and lighter. The body length is 90-190 cm, the tail is 60-110 cm long. Females weigh from 32 to 65 kg, males - from 60 to 75 kg. The height of males is 50-78 cm, in females it does not exceed 45 cm.

The coat is short, close-lying, coarse and dense. Summer and winter fur have virtually no differences, the latter is slightly paler and duller. The main color background is yellow or red-yellow with small black spots that form rings with light centers.

The main favorite food of leopards is deer and antelope. Predators watch their victims near bodies of water, then jump and cling to the neck, killing the prey. Then they hide the carcass high in the trees, lifting up even the bodies of animals three times larger than themselves. If there are not enough ungulates, then the leopard hunts hare, birds and even monkeys. Can feed on carrion. In general, the leopard's diet promotes cleansing environment from weak animals, that is, it is a kind of natural selection.

Leopards often steal each other's prey from trees, as it can remain there for 2 to 7 days, depending on how hungry the predator that caught it is.

Leopards are common in Africa and Asia, in the north of the Caucasus Mountains and in the Amur taiga. For life they choose savannas, mixed forests and mountain slopes.

In general, these predators adapt well to any environment. Yes, on African continent they live in jungles, savannas, semi-deserts and mountains. But coniferous and dense tropical and subtropical mixed forests of Asia are also becoming an acceptable habitat for them.

Common Leopard Species

For the leopard, the following subspecies are distinguished depending on the regions of their habitat:

• African leopard (Panthera pardus pardus) in Africa

• Indochinese leopard (Panthera pardus delacouri) in Indochina

• Javan leopard (Panthera pardus melas) on acute Java

• Indian leopard (Panthera pardus fusca) in India, southeast Pakistan, Nepal

• Ceylon leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) in Ceylon

• North China leopard (Panthera pardus japonensis) in China

• Far Eastern leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) on Far East, in northern China, in Korea

• Persian leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor) in Western Asia and the Caucasus

• South Arabian leopard (Panthera pardus nimr) on the Arabian Peninsula.

A manifestation of sexual dimorphism in leopards is that males are about a third larger than females in size. Otherwise, representatives of both sexes of this species are identical in appearance.

Leopards usually lead a solitary lifestyle, except during the mating season. Like many other predators, they lead night look life. During the day they climb trees, where they rest quietly, and at dusk they go out hunting. Leopards are good steeplejacks and can easily jump onto trees or rocks up to 5 meters high.

Leopards are distinguished by acute vision and keen hearing. Even in pitch darkness they can navigate perfectly. And their ideal protective color helps predators camouflage. This is why even experienced hunters often miss leopards. Their location is usually revealed by a long tail, which they cannot tuck, and if the animal is excited, the tail moves, which also attracts attention.

Leopards are the main threat to monkeys. The latter, when they notice a predator, try to climb as high as possible into the trees and begin to scream loudly. Even large baboons avoid meeting a leopard.

These cats very rarely attack humans, only if they are injured or provoked.

In the south of its range, the leopard breeds throughout the year. In the Far East, mating season occurs in late autumn or early winter. At this time, fights often occur among the males; they roar loudly, although they usually behave very silently and quietly.

Pregnancy lasts 3 months, after which 1-2, sometimes 3 blind babies are born. Females choose caves, crevices, and holes in remote, secluded places as dens. At the age of 2.5 years, the young leopard reaches the size of adults and becomes sexually mature, switching to independent life.

Agile, secretive and strong, adult leopards have virtually no enemies. Their food competitors are the lion, hyena, and tiger, which can steal prey that leopards hide in the trees.

IN last years The leopard population is constantly decreasing. The main threat For them, human activity became: hunting, destruction of natural habitats, reduction of the food supply. Previously, leopards were hunted for the purpose of obtaining their valuable and beautiful skins, but now poaching is associated mainly with the needs of oriental medicine. For example, at the beginning of the 21st century the number of individuals Far Eastern leopards there were only about 50. Five subspecies of leopard, including the Far Eastern one, are included in the IUCN and Russian Red List. Hunting them is prohibited.

• As among lions and tigers, among leopards, although extremely rare, there are cannibals; old or sick animals that are unable to hunt ungulates. In the 20s of the last century, the “Rudraprayag cannibal” became widely known in India. He killed 125 people, sneaking into villages and people's homes at night. Leopards also begin to attack people after being injured by porcupine quills. In such cases, the animal becomes crippled, loses mobility, and begins to attack humans, since it cannot fully hunt ungulates.
• Leopards are a symbol of cruelty, ferocity, aggression, and fearlessness. Since the spots of this predator are similar to eyes, it is called the Vigilant Guardian. The Chinese consider leopards to be a symbol of courage and warlike ferocity. IN Ancient Egypt he was associated with supreme god Osiris, and among the Greeks - with Dionysus.

The leopard is a colorful, graceful, incredibly majestic and cunning cat. This is a fast and careful animal. Has a strong, muscular, strong body. Has excellent vision, sees perfectly in different time days. The leopard's main weapon: very sharp claws and teeth that feed it. The animal’s body length reaches 80-180 cm, and its weight is 50 kg (female) and 70 kg (male). The main advantage: elegant fur that easily hides the predator, making it invisible to the prey. Today, leopards are listed in the Red Book as an endangered species.

They feed mainly on roe deer, antelope and zebra, although they can also eat rodents, monkeys or birds in times of famine. Leopard is an incredibly skillful fisherman! Leads a solitary lifestyle, peak activity occurs at night.

Of all the cats, the leopard is the best athlete. He is excellent at climbing trees and mountains, and easily overcomes high barriers. The duration of pregnancy is 3 months. On average, three beautiful kittens are born, which are fully cared for by the leopard mother. The lifespan of leopards is 10-11 years.

Leopards are very valuable in the fur market due to their delicate skin. Every hunter dreams of having a leopard trophy. Unfortunately, people very often persecute these predators as dangerous animals, which has led to a significant reduction in their numbers. The leopard is indispensable for nature: it inhibits the proliferation of pests such as monkeys.

The Far Eastern leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) is considered the rarest cat in the world. It was previously assumed that leopards form up to 35 subspecies, which differ in color and location of spots. But recently scientists have shown that only 8-9 can be considered sufficiently isolated. All leopard species are under the auspices of International Union Nature Conservation.

The black panther is not a separate species, but just a leopard or jaguar with dark coloring. We have not seen black pumas alive, but it is possible that they exist.

The snow leopard or snow leopard lives in the mountains of central Asia.

Film: "The Challengers."

Leopard, panther (Panthera pardus) is a species of mammal from the cat family. The fourth largest cat in the world (after the tiger, lion and jaguar). Leopards live in Africa and Asia. These animals live mainly in dense wet forests, prefer to stay near water.

The leopard is an animal that is distinguished by its graceful and flexible body, long tail and paws with large claws. The leopard has a very beautiful spotted color, which makes it attractive. The main color of the coat is considered to be a red tint, which gradually turns into White color, on the underside of the body, where the leopard’s belly is.

But among animals there are breeds that are distinguished by increased pigment in their fur; then the animals are distinguished by their dark color, on which spots are practically invisible. Such leopards are called panthers. The fur of such animals is distinguished by its thickness and shortness. Their wool is very valuable and is used as finishing material.

Panthers are much smaller and lighter than lions or tigers, which makes them ideal for climbing trees. They spend a lot of time there, sleeping and relaxing in the branches. They often drag prey into trees when they hunt so that hyenas and vultures do not disturb them.

Leopard is the most mysterious cat

Leopards are the most mysterious of all big cats. These animals are so careful and vigilant that even in nature reserves it is difficult to track their lifestyle.

The fur color of these predators helps them hide in the foliage of trees and grass and makes leopards almost invisible. There are also black specimens.

The black coloration of panthers is a manifestation of melanism caused by a gene mutation and is characteristic only of females, with rare exceptions. The black coat is not perfectly black; to a greater or lesser extent, visible spots are always visible on it.

Leopard and jaguar - comparison

The leopard is often confused with the jaguar. , unlike leopard cats, is very muscular, although they are similar in appearance. In fact, the leopard has a stronger structure. It has longer and slender legs, thin breasts. A jaguar can be distinguished from a leopard by the black spot in the center of the rosette on the skin. Leopards and jaguars in wildlife live in different areas.

Leopard and jaguar - comparison.

The leopard, like a cat, leads a solitary lifestyle. Often, you can’t even hear how the leopard moves, since it does it on its soft paws. This animal madly loves to camouflage itself among grass and trees. And he does this well due to his spotted color. Leopards go hunting only at dusk, and sit in shelter all day. But if a leopard sees prey in front of it, then it can go hunting in daytime.

The leopard is the great hunter of the earth's fauna.

The leopard's diet consists of ungulates, namely antelope, roe deer, gazelles and wild pigs. There are also areas where leopards feed on monkeys, reptiles and rodents. If they have nothing to eat, they can also attack birds, but this happens extremely rarely. Animals disdain carrion and eat it only in the most extreme cases.

A leopard lies in wait for its prey in a shelter, stealthily creeping towards close quarters towards her and pounces on her with big leaps.

Listen to the voice of the leopard

• Leopard and panther are the names of the same animal.
• Leopards are very strong. They can lift a victim heavier than themselves into the crown of a tree.
• Panthers climb down from tree trunks upside down.
• Black panthers also have spots on their fur, but they are difficult to see.
• The favorite food of young leopards is baboons.
• Each individual has a unique mottled pattern by which they can be identified.
• The black panther is more aggressive than other leopards.
• Leopards can jump up to 7 meters.
• Different types of leopards can vary greatly in size and color.

Tree is the leopard's favorite resting place

Leopards Size:

• Body length from 100 to 150 cm (record 190 cm)
• Height from 60 to 80 cm
• Weight: 60-80 kg (for females) and 70-90 kg (for males)
• Tail length up to 110 cm
• Life expectancy in the wild is 12 years (record 17 years), in captivity 25 years.

Leopard breeding

« wild cat» resting on a tree.

Leopards breed regardless of the season, but the exception is animals living in the north.

The female's pregnancy lasts three months, usually she bears three babies. For her cubs, a female leopard chooses a secluded place, most often in dense thickets.

The cubs are born completely blind, but they grow very quickly and very soon they independently leave their den for a walk in order to explore the world. Young children stay with their mother until they are one and a half years old, during which time she brings them wounded animals and teaches them to hunt.

Adult leopards have almost no enemies, since they are hidden from other animals. The main opponents of leopards are hyenas, lions, tigers and wolves. All these animals can attack young leopards and take their prey. But it is still extremely difficult to take prey from leopards, since they hide it in the trees.

During a hunt, a leopard can be injured by a buffalo. But often, such situations occur either with young or inexperienced animals.

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Animals, belongs to the subfamily big cats. If it is customary to respectfully call the lion “the king of beasts,” then we can say about the leopard that it is the most dexterous and beautiful cat.

Structure

The leopard's body is slender, slightly elongated and as if compressed from the sides. A long tail makes up almost half the entire length of the beast. The leopard's body length reaches up to 190 cm without taking into account the tail, which adds up to 110 cm. These predators weigh up to 75 kg. Females are slightly lighter than males. The size and weight of a cat largely depends on its habitat: in forests, leopards are smaller than their counterparts living on open areas. Strong short legs, wide front paws, rounded ears, beautiful yellow eyes and a magnificent skin with short, close-fitting yellowish fur. The color can vary - up to a rusty-brown tint. The color of the fur depends on the leopard’s habitat, its subspecies, and the season. It is worth saying that there are about 27 subspecies of this predator. The stains are unique, like human fingerprints. They can be either black or brown. By the pattern on the skin, you can unmistakably recognize a leopard and distinguish it from other relatives. One of the most interesting subspecies of these cats is the melanistic leopard - the black panther. Such leopards are born from ordinary individuals, but are black in color. Black panthers also have spots, but they are faintly expressed against the black background of the skin.

Character, lifestyle and habitat of leopards

The leopard, like many cats, leads the lifestyle of a solitary predator. Moreover, his secrecy and ability to hunt a wide variety of animals gives him the opportunity to more easily adapt to his environment. He can live in forest areas, as well as forest-steppe areas, savannas and mountainous areas. It can be found in Africa, the southern half East Asia, in Transcaucasia and Dagestan. Possessing excellent eyesight and hearing, the leopard prefers to hunt at night and during the day rest somewhere in the shade on a tree. The predator's sense of smell is much less developed. Thanks to its short legs, the leopard is excellent at climbing trees, and its muscular body allows it to make large jumps. Hunting grounds can reach up to 400 square meters. km, depending on the availability of food. As its main hunting techniques, the leopard uses an ambush in a tree, or quietly sneaks up on its prey, followed by a lightning-fast jump, sometimes reaching 8-10 meters in length. Having jumped, the leopard strangles the beast. Having had a hearty lunch, he hides the remains of the meal on a tree so that they do not get to another animal. It can drag the entire carcass up a tree at once. This is due to the fact that the leopard is forced to give up its prey more large predators, and therefore it is better to hide and not take unnecessary risks. If misfortune befell and the animal managed to escape, the predator will not pursue it. The leopard's body is designed in such a way that it climbs trees well, is well camouflaged due to its color, jumps deftly and accurately, but is not very fast.

Nutrition

Among animals, the leopard hunts mainly antelope, deer, and roe deer. At worst, he will not refuse rodents, monkeys (he catches them right in the trees), birds, and also pets. If things are really bad, he will not disdain carrion. Old and frail leopards feed on easy prey - livestock, dogs, foxes, carrion. Cases of attacks on humans among leopards are considered rare, but nevertheless they do occur.

Reproduction and mating season of leopards

There is no specific breeding season for leopards. After a three-month pregnancy, the female gives birth to 1-2 kittens. Leopards are born blind, and at first the female keeps them in various shelters - under tree roots, in gorges, protecting them from other predators. They grow up next to their mother until they are 2.5 years old, after which they start a family themselves. The life expectancy of a leopard in captivity is longer (up to 20 years) than in natural environment habitat (up to 12 years). The number of leopards, sadly, is gradually decreasing. The skin of this predator is highly valued; it is also caught for use in oriental medicine. However, poachers are not the only problem affecting the cat population. To a greater extent, their extinction today is associated with a decrease favorable places for their habitat, a lack of familiar food, despite their ability to adapt to the world around them.

Class – mammals (mammalia)

Order – carnivores (carnivora)

Family – felines (felidae)

Subfamily – big cats (pantherinae)

Genus – panthers (panthera)

Species – leopard (panthera pardus)