Leopard "The Silent Hunter Monster"
LEOPARD
CLASSIFICATION
The Leopard is a medium-sized wildcat that is
natively found in a variety of different habitats across sub-Saharan Africa and
southern Asia. A member of the "Big Cat" family, the Leopard is an
agile and opportunistic hunter that has been able to exploit habitats unused by
other large felines as it spends a great deal of its time high in the tree
branches.
There are seven different sub-species of Leopard
which differ in their appearance and geographic location.
1. The
African Leopard
2. The
Rare Amur Leopard
3. The
Anatolian Leopard
4. The
Barbary Leopard
5. The
Sinai Leopard
6. The
South Arabian Leopard
7. The
Zanzibar Leopard.
LEOPARD FACTS
Scientific
Name :Panthera pardus
Common
Name :Leopard
Other Name(s) :Panther
Number Of Species :7
Location :Sub-Saharan Africa and southern
Asia
Group Behaviour :Solitary
Age Of Sexual Maturity:2
- 2.5 years
Gestation Period :90
- 105 days
Name Of Young :Cub
Age Of Weaning :3
months
Estimated Population Size:Stable
Biggest Threat
:Trophy
hunting and habitat loss
Most Distinctive Feature:Dense
patterned fur and long, sharp teeth
Fun Fact :Spends
much of the time high in the trees!
THE UNIQUE OF
LEOPARD
1. Leopards are big cats. Of course, they are more dangerous than the cat we consider as pets.
2. You can consider it as quite a graceful animal. Their average height is usually 28 inches.
3. This animal is very adaptive by nature as it can sustain in any type of environment. Also, it is a very successful hunters.
4. You may notice quite a big variation in the color and length of its fur. The leopards living in the cold countries usually have fur that is much longer and grayer.
5. The leopards from the rainforest have golden fur. So, the distinctive color and type of coat generally depends on the region they belong to.
6. Do you know what they eat? They are fond of fish, reptiles, carcasses, wartogs, hares, antelopes and rodents.
7. Leopards are pretty tactical and elusive animals. They are quick and stealthy in hunting.
8. They prefer to hunt in the night. It’s interesting to know that each leopard has its identified hunting territory. They mark it with their claws and urine. They don’t like invading the hunting range of others.
9. Female leopards leave a unique scent and rub their body against the trees to leave her smell there as an indication that they are ready to mate.
10. Female leopard gives birth to two or three cubs at a time. They can give birth at any point of time of the year. The cubs generally live with their mothers up to the age of two.
[GARD align=”center”]
11. Male leopards are almost 50 per cent larger than the female leopards. Female leopards weight around 62 – 100 pounds and male leopards weigh around 80 – 150 pounds.
12. They have very long tails that help them to balance and make sharp turns.
13. The life expectancy of a leopard living in the wild is generally 12 – 15 years and a leopard living in a zoo has a life expectancy of about 23 years.
14. Leopards have the largest distribution in eastern and southern Asia and Africa.
15. Leopards don’t usually roar as much as lions do, but they are also found to purr.
16. They’ve a tendency of dragging their food high up into a tree so that they can protect it from other animals.
17. Male leopards are strong animals. Because of having a powerful and muscular body, they can kill giraffes and drag them into trees.
18. Some people have a weird belief that Leopard’s bones and whiskers can cure ill people.
19. Leopards are silent hunters. They can hide in the tree while hunting. Their spotted coats help them to blend with the tree leaves.
20. They are also good swimmers and love to be in the water. This is why they’re quite good in hunting fish and crabs.
LIFE CYCLE OF
LEOPARD
Cubs are small and helpless when
they are born, and do not open their eyes until they are about 7 days old. At 2
months old, cubs are ready to eat solid food.
At 3 months old, they begin
following their mother and start to learn important behavior like hunting.
At 18-22 months old, cubs become
independent of their mothers.
Female leopards are ready to have
their own cubs by age 2 or 3.
Male leopards become sexually
mature by age 4.
The average typical life span of a
leopard is between 12 and 17 years.
The oldest recorded spotted leopard
was a female named Roxanne.
She
died August 8, 2014 at
the age of 24 years.
SOURCE
Animal, A-Z. 14 November 2017. Leopard.
[Online]. (https://a-z-animals.com/animals/leopard/).
Kids, National Geograpic. 10 Leopard Facts.
[Online]. (https://www.natgeokids.com/uk/discover/animals/general-animals/leopard-facts/#!/register).
Leopard. [Online]. (https://rbhsleopard.weebly.com/life-cycle.html).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard
http://factslegend.org/20-facts-leopard/
Keren !
BalasHapus