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The leopard is a slender and muscular cat, with relatively short limbs and a broad head. It is sexually dimorphic with males larger and heavier than females. [64] Males stand 60–70 cm (24–28 in) at the shoulder, while females are 57–64 cm (22–25 in) tall.
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leopard, (Panthera pardus), large cat closely related to the lion, tiger, and jaguar. The name leopard was originally given to the cat now called cheetah—the so-called hunting leopard—which was once thought to be a cross between the lion and the pard. The term pard was eventually replaced by the name leopard.
In 1750 the leopard’s geographic range spanned nearly the whole of Africa south of the Sahara, occupied parts of north and northeast Africa, and extended from Asia Minor through Central Asia and India to China and Manchuria. By 2019 the species had lost up to 75 percent of its former range. Several large pockets, however, remained throughout sub-Saharan Africa, Iran, and the Himalayas, with smaller pockets scattered throughout Central Asia, India, Southeast Asia, eastern China and Manchuria, and the Korean peninsula. In addition, one tiny pocket of leopards persists in the Atlas Mountains.
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The leopard varies greatly in size and markings. The average size is 50 to 90 kg (110 to 200 pounds) in weight, 210 cm (84 inches), excluding the 90-cm tail, in length, and 60 to 70 cm in shoulder height. The leopard can, however, grow much larger. The ground colour is typically yellowish above and white below. Dark spots are generally arranged in rosettes over much of the body and are without the central spot characteristic of the coat of the jaguar; the ground colour within the rosettes is sometimes a darker yellow, and the size and spacing of the spots vary greatly. As a result of these differences in pattern, several races of leopard have been named.
The leopard is a solitary animal of the bush and forest and is mainly nocturnal in habit, although it sometimes basks in the sun. It is an agile climber and frequently stores the remains of its kills in the branches of a tree. It feeds upon any animals it can overpower, from small rodents to waterbuck, but generally preys on the smaller and medium-sized antelopes and deer; it appears to have a special liking for dogs as food and, in Africa, for baboons. It sometimes takes livestock and may attack human beings.
There is no definite breeding season; the female produces two to four, usually three, cubs after a gestation period of about three months. The calls of the leopard vary and include a series of harsh coughs, throaty growls, and deep purring sounds. The animal takes to water readily and is a good swimmer.
A black form, in which the ground colour as well as the spots is black, is widely known as the black panther; it is more common in Asia than in other parts of the range of the leopard. The races known as the Barbary, South Arabian, Anatolian, Amur, and Sinai leopards are listed as endangered.
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The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has classified P. pardus as a vulnerable species, with the number of leopards worldwide estimated at several hundred thousand individuals. The fortunes of each of the nine recognized leopard subspecies, however, vary greatly. Heavily qualified estimates place the population of African leopar...
Learn about the leopard, a large cat closely related to the lion, tiger, and jaguar, and its distribution, natural history, and conservation status. See photos, videos, and maps of the leopard's range and subspecies.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Learn about leopards, graceful and powerful big cats that live in Africa, Asia, and China. Find out how they hunt, breed, and adapt to their environment, and see stunning photos of these elusive animals.
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Dec 13, 2019 · Learn about leopards, one of the five species of the big cat genus Panthera, that live in Africa and Asia. Find out their description, diet, reproduction, conservation status, and more.
Learn about the leopard, a large carnivore with nine subspecies and a wide range of habitats across Africa and Asia. Find out the challenges, solutions, and behaviors of this vulnerable species.
