Persian Leopard

Persian Leopard

Anatolian leopard, Caucasian leopard, Balochistan leopard, Asia Minor leopard

SUBSPECIES OF

Kingdom
Phylum
Subphylum
Class
Order
Suborder
Family
Genus
SPECIES
Panthera pardus tulliana
Population size
800-1,000
Life Span
10-20 years
Top speed
58
36
km/hmph
km/h mph 
Weight
60
132
kglbs
kg lbs 
Length
158
62
cminch
cm inch 

The Persian leopard is a leopard subspecies native to Western and Central Asia. Since 2016, it has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, as the wild population is estimated at less than 1000 mature individuals.

Appearance

Persian leopards have grayish, slightly reddish fur with large rosettes on the flanks and back, smaller ones on the shoulder and upper legs, and spots on the head and neck. They vary in coloration; in Iran, both pale and dark individuals occur.

Video

Distribution

Geography

Persian leopards are found in the Iranian Plateau and surrounding areas encompassing Turkey, the Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Iraq, Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and possibly Pakistan. In the Greater Caucasus leopards inhabit subalpine meadows, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests, and rugged ravines; and in the Lesser Caucasus and Iran, they prefer rocky slopes, mountain steppes, and sparse juniper forests. They avoid areas with long-duration snow cover and areas near urban development.

Persian Leopard habitat map

Climate zones

Persian Leopard habitat map
Persian Leopard
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Habits and Lifestyle

Little is known about the behavior of Persian leopards. In general, these animals are solitary. Moreover, when leopards accidentally encounter each other, they can engage in a fight. Usually, the animal emits a rasping or sawing cough, in order to inform other leopards of its presence. Home ranges of leopards usually overlap with each other. Thus, the home range of a male leopard can often overlap with the territories of multiple females. Females live with their cubs in home ranges that overlap extensively and continue to interact with their offspring even after weaning; females may even share kills with their offspring when they can not obtain any prey. Leopards are active mainly from dusk till dawn and rest for most of the day and for some hours at night in thickets, among rocks, or over tree branches. In some regions, they are nocturnal. Leopards usually hunt on the ground and depend mainly on their acute senses of hearing and vision for hunting. They stalk their prey and try to approach it as closely as possible, typically within 5 m (16 ft) of the target, and, finally, pounce on it and kill it by suffocation. Leopards produce a number of vocalizations, including growls, snarls, meows, and purrs. Cubs call their mother with an 'urr-urr' sound. In order to warn intruders, leopards usually scratch trees, leaving claw marks. In addition, due to having a highly developed sense of smell, they often use scent marks.

Group name
Seasonal behavior

Diet and Nutrition

Persian leopards are carnivores and their diet varies depending on their habitat. In southern Armenia and Iran, they prey mostly on wild goats, mouflons, wild boars, Roe deer, Goitered gazelle, Indian crested porcupines, and European hares. They occasionally attack livestock and herding dogs. In Iran, the presence of leopards is highly correlated with the presence of wild goats and wild sheep. In Turkey, they also prey on chamois.

Mating Habits

MATING BEHAVIOR
REPRODUCTION SEASON
mid-January to mid-February
PREGNANCY DURATION
90-105 days
BABY CARRYING
2-4 cubs
INDEPENDENT AGE
18-24 months
FEMALE NAME
leopardess
MALE NAME
leopard
BABY NAME
cub

Information about the reproductive behavior of Persian leopards is scarce; however, it is known that their mating season lasts from mid-January to mid-February. Generally, leopards have a polygynandrous (promiscuous) mating system, where both males and females mate with several mates. The gestation period lasts for 90-105 days, yielding from 2 to 4 cubs. Females give birth in a cave, crevice among boulders, hollow trees, or thicket. Cubs are born with closed eyes, which open 4 to 9 days after birth. Being extremely vulnerable in the wild, the cubs remain hidden, living in a secluded place, covered with dense vegetation. By the age of 6-8 weeks, the young attain their dark, woolly coat, covered with blurry patches, which serves young leopards as camouflage, allowing them to follow their mother around. Reaching the age of 3 months, the cubs are weaned, accompanying their mother on a hunt. On the whole, they remain with their mother for 18-24 months, after which they leave to find their own territories. Young leopards start breeding when they are between 2 and 3 years old.

Population

Population threats

Persian leopards are threatened by poaching, depletion of prey base due to poaching, and human disturbance such as the presence of military and training of troops in border areas. They also suffer from habitat loss due to deforestation, fire, agricultural expansion, overgrazing, and infrastructure development. In the 1980s, anti-personnel mines were deployed along the northern part of the Iran-Iraq border to deter people from entering the area. Leopards roaming the area are safe from poachers and industrial development, but at least two individuals are known to have stepped on mines and been killed. The main threat in northern Iraq is deforestation, which in the early 2020s is being worsened by an economic crisis. Droughts in wide areas of leopard habitats affected the main prey species such as wild goats and wild sheep.

Population number

According to IUCN Red List, the total population size of the Persian leopard is 800-1,000 individuals. Currently, it is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List and the number of leopards today is decreasing.

Ecological niche

Leopards play a very important role in their native ecosystem because they control the numbers and health of the populations of their prey species.

Coloring Pages

References

1. Persian leopard Wikipedia article - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persian_leopard

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