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A marvelous hunter and opportunistic predator, leopard hunts what
others do not and resides where other cannot. With a wide geographic
distribution, leopard lives everywhere yet is seen virtually nowhere
owing to its supreme stealth and cunning. Smallest of the four big cats
of the Panthera genus, leopard - Panthera Pardus, has a weight ranging
from 80-150 lbs for the males and 65-100 lbs for the female, subject to
subspecies variation.
The word leopard reflects the supposed
evolutionary origin of the big cat, with the original belief being that
it was a hybrid of lion (leo) and panther (pard). However, the closest
resemblance is to the Jaguar, even as the leopard is less stocky and
its rosette coat markings are smaller, more numerous and lack internal
spots. The rosettes also distinguish it from the spots of the Cheetah.
Plus leopard is a more gifted tree climber and a nocturnal hunter,
whereas Cheetah prefers the less competitive daytime for his kills.
Coloration
is usually tawny yellow with the black rosettes ranging from a circular
shape in East African leopard to square in South African Leopard.
Melanism is frequently seen with the black leopard often found in dense
forests of South East Asia. Called 'panther', the black coloration is a
result of the merging together of skin markings. Designed for
camouflage, leopard's coat is generally considered as one of the most
beautiful in animal kingdom and varies according to the habitat of the
great hunter. Its geographical distribution is also used for
classification purposes as leopard is segregated into nine modern
species (down from a previous thirty), namely the African Leopard, Amur
Leopard, Arabian Leopard, Indian Leopard, Indo-Chinese Leopard, Java
Leopard, North China Leopard, Persian Leopard and Sri Lankan Leopard.
The Snow Leopard, Clouded Leopard and Bornean Clouded Leopard are all
considered separate species now (to be discussed later!).
A
graceful hunter, leopard epitomizes stealth and predation. Leopard's
ability to go undetected enables it to prey on the most sensitive of
animals like gazelles and dogs. The most successful hunter amongst big
cats, leopard spares nothing - takes everything as prey from insects to
birds, reptiles, monkeys, fish and deer. Its wide prey base
supplemented by its ability to survive in diverse environments ensures
leopard's survival beyond the realm of its peers. Despite rare
predation by the tiger in India, leopard enjoys greater success since
it survives in areas with scarce water. The same is true in Africa
where conflicts with lions and hyenas are won by the leopard's terrific
ability to carry prey up to three times its weight into trees, beyond
the reach of its competitors. Its tree climbing abilities are the best
among cats and alongside a strong swimming ability make it the best
hunter in all of Africa, surviving in drought and tough climatic
conditions where others perish.
Whilst the prey base is diverse,
leopard may at times attack humans. The risks are supplemented in case
of disease, eradication of prey animals and habitat encroachment. As
man-eaters, leopards are extremely dangerous and very hard to
eliminate. Their great stalking ability and cunning makes them the most
feared killers amongst men. Many in Africa and India don't fear the
lion and tiger, respectively, as much as they do the leopard that
spares nothing and yet is never seen. In fact many hunters maintain the
leopard to be ten times as dangerous as a lion or tiger, making it a
killer of great notoriety. Whereas other man-eating cats almost never
dare to enter human settlements at day time, leopard has been known to
take people from inside their houses! The famous Panar Leopard and
Rudraprayag Leopard of India are startling examples (more on man-eating
later!).
Solitary creatures, leopards come in unison for mating,
that may occur seasonally or year-round depending on the individual
sub-specie. Two or three cubs are born that the female takes great care
to protect and hide, warning intruders into its territory by roaring
and hissing (leopard's growl is slightly different from lion and
tiger's loud roars - I personally find the rumbling growl of the
leopard more frightening!). The young are able to hunt at nearly one
year of age but may stay with the mother up to one and a half to two
years.
Leopard often appears on coat of arms of nations and has
great admiration worldwide for its beauty, something that poachers
relish as they try to market its splendid fur. Though not vulnerable as
a specie yet, leopard is under threat in certain parts of the world,
spared only by its adaptability and reclusive nature!
The author is a blogger about cats and an expert on leopard.
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