Big Cat - Leopard

The leopard of the genus Leo pardus is the smartest and one of the most dangerous of the big cats. It can live in the tropical rain forest and/or the drier open country of southeast Asia. It is smaller and not as fierce as the tiger and generally is found in Africa, southern India, Ceylon and Java.
It was once believed to be a hybrid of a panther and a lion but that has never been verified. The term panther can refer to a leopard, jaguar or cougar. It can be up to 41/2 feet long with a 3 foot tail. It fur is pale ochre to a reddish hue spotted with black rosettes. An all black leopard is also known as a black panther. The Persian is gray and the Java is reddish brown.
It is an excellent climber and swimmer. It can run over 36 miles per hour, leap over 20 feet horizontally and jump up to almost 10 feet vertically. It is a nocturnal hunter but may hunt during the day if the sky is overcast. Like most cats, daytime is reserved for resting and sleeping. The male tends to live alone unless mating which can occur through the year.
Being not as big as some of the other large predators like the lion or tiger, it must find ways to hunt for food or it can become a predators' meal. Hunting at different hours of the day or in areas not frequented by larger predators has been effective. If food is abundant, it can coexist with its predators.
It will feed on the langur monkey, deer, antelope, wart hog, impala, waterbuck, baboon, domestic dog, rodents and birds. It hunts alone at dusk by sight or smell. After stalking its prey, it will kill it by breaking the neck or severing the jugular vein with its teeth. It will bury some of its food or hide its food in a tree to avoid scavengers for a later time. It may attacked a human or domestic animal if there is not enough food available.
At one time, it was believed 27 subspecies existed but that has been reduced to nine based on DNA analysis.
African - found in Sub-Saharan Africa,
Amur - found in Russian Far East, Korean Peninsula and Northeast China.
Arabian - found in Arabian Peninsula.
Indian - found in the Indian Subcontinent.
Indo-Chinese - found in Mainland Southeast Asia.
Javan - found in Java and Indonesia.
North Chinese - found in Northern China.
Persian - found in Central Asia.
Sri Lankan - found in Sri Lanka.
The market value of its fur is high. Traps and baits using domestic animals are used to hunt and trap the leopard. It has been featured in art, mythology and folklore in ancient times. In Africa, it is used as a coat of arms or sports team emblem. The pumapard, a cross between a leopard and a puma, is the only known hybrid which was bred in the late 1890s. It is the most widely distributed big cat in Africa and Asia and can be best seen in national parks in those regions.