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Leopards (Panthera pardus)
are one of the four 'big cats' of the genus Panthera. (The others
are the Lion, Tiger, and Jaguar.) They range in size from 1 to
almost 2 metres long, and weigh between 30 and 70 kg. Females
are typically around two-thirds the size of males. Most Leopards
are orange or fawn with black spots, but their coats are very
variable. The spots tend to be smaller on the head, larger and
have pale centres on the body. Originally, it was thought that
a Leopard was a hybrid between a Lion and a Panther, and the Leopard's
common name derives from this belief; leo is the Latin for lion,
and pard is an old term meaning panther. In fact, a "panther"
can be any of several species of large felid which happen to have
genes for more black pigment than orange-tan pigment, thus producing
a pure black coat as opposed to the usual spotted one. "Panthers",
in other words, are simply dark-furred Leopards (or a dark form
of several other big cats: see black panther).
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Prior to the
human-induced changes of the last few hundred years, Leopards
were the most widely distributed of all felids other than the
domestic cat: they were found through most of Africa (with the
exception of the Sahara Desert), as well as parts of Asia Minor
and the Middle East, India, Pakistan, China, Siberia, much of
mainland South-East Asia, and the islands of Java, Zanzibar, and
Sri Lanka. Their lifestyle and diet are as varied as that of any
big cat. They are able to hunt in trees as well as on the ground,
and they feed on insects, rodents, fish, and larger game such
as antelope. Leopards even prey upon dogs, themselves often formidable
predators; those persons who keep dogs in leopard country are
wise to keep dogs caged for their safety because leopards have
been known to crave dog-meat.
Images 1 Through
3 Are From That US Fish & Wildlife Service
Images 004 though 024.jpg courtesy Schmode.net
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