Scientific name:
Panthera pardus

Natural spread:
Africa, Asia

co a length of 95-150 cm belongs to the smaller big-cats the leopard or panthers. its fur-color varies from light-sand-colored to brown-ocher, the underside is knows or at least whitish-yellow. its entire body expels stains a dark one - as well as. Point-drawing on. If it looks like also the jaguar in the whole one, so however it differs in it from this that it at the flanks open or annular closed rosette-spot, that doesn't show any central-stain in its inside, carries. The leopard is the big-cat with the biggest spread-area. It includes wide parts of Africa and Asia. Therefore, it performs in very many subtypes, that partially threatens on the most outer or even already is wiped out.

Habitat Also the habitat, in which the leopard is native, is as multifariously as its spread-area. it lives in the water-near Taiga, the Nordic foliage, as well and dry-forests like the mangroves, reed, bamboo, and bush-jungles or Africa's dry-savannas. it is even in cold and hot deserts and semi-deserts at home. As multifariously its habitat is, so it varies also in height and fur-drawing.

Way of life and nutrition In its way of life, the leopard essentially doesn't differ from other cats. That is, it lives einzelgängerisch as twilight and night-animal, who oversleeps the light day in the thicket or on a branch-fork, and very much place-scatters in precincts differently big according to food-offer, that are marked by urine and excrement-markings. As loot, it manages mammals of mouse - until house-cow-size as well as birds and Kaltblüter. The leopard prefers monkeys, Z. B. Baboons, gives birth or very old antelopes, buffalos and other game-cows. It many times especially clearly become regulating effect at the loot-animal-continuances after one wiped out the leopard completely in some areas.

In the loot-acquisition, however, the leopard resembles the snow-leopard, in who type of cutting and utilize of the loot distinguishes, it himself. it doesn't broach from the back the food but first opens the stomach and off the guts, that it buries. Never, the leopard eats a loot at the place of the killing but tows it at a sure place, often on a tree, where it clamps it in a branch-fork. The leopard usually uses such a food-source several days.

Reproduction The sexes meet normally can have bound to only the combination-period, that occurs in the different spread-areas to different seasons, in tropical areas also at no certain season.

After 90-105 days of Tragzeit, the Leopardin 1-7 boy brings to the world, that 5-7 months will suckle. Since the infant-mortality is very high, survives usually only 2 kids. These open the eyes after the first until ninth day and leave the throw-camp after approximately 35 days the first time. Begin solid food to pick up it with 40-45 days. Also the tomcat should take part in the Aufzucht.

Schwärzlinge As peculiarity, they are particularly still mentioned with the Schwärzlinge appearing Indian and with the Java-leopard, for which "blacks panthers" are called. With lateral light-idea, the typical leopard-fur becomes visible in its structure also with them. In the behavior, these Melanos resemble the normal animals completely. They are not especially wildly.

Endangering Because of its especially beautiful fur, all leopards become mercilessly bejagt also still today and poached, although they are subject to the regulations of the Washingtoner Artenschutzübereinkommens.