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Black Leopard. Five Interesting Facts. Strong jaws and teeth to kill and carry a prey 2x their weight for miles and up a tree More common in Asia Most widespread of all the big cats From the “roaring cat family ” # of species uncertain 27 species with only 8 sub-species
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Five Interesting Facts • Strong jaws and teeth to kill and carry a prey 2x their weight for miles and up a tree • More common in Asia • Most widespread of all the big cats • From the “roaring cat family” • # of species uncertain • 27 species with only 8 sub-species • 7-30 subspecies
Critically endangered leopards • Amur Leopard (critically endangered) • Anatolian Leopard (critically endangered or possibly extinct) • Barbary Leopard (critically endangered) • Java Leopard*, Pantherapardusmeas(endangered) • North China Leopard*, Pantherapardusjaponensis(endangered) • South Arabian Leopard, Pantherapardusnimr(critically endangered) • Sri Lanka Leopard*, Pantheraparduskotiya(endangered) • Zanzibar Leopard, Pantherapardusadersi(extinct)
Habitat • Thick forest • Plains • Savannah • Human-populated areas
Habitat • Spread out over most of Central and South Africa • Greater parts of Southeast Asia • The Middle East • The Far East • The island of Java
What the Black Leopard Eats • Small to medium-sized animals • Able to change what they eat depending on what is available • Birds, reptiles, hyraxes, baboons, monkeys and domestic dogs
What predators try to eat it? • No other animal hunts the black leopard; however, human beings often kill them because: • They want to protect their livestock (cows, sheep, pigs). • They are afraid of them being “maneaters” • They are poachers selling their skins.
How does the black leopard reproduce? • Males and females avoid each other except in mating season • Females give birth to 2-3 cubs at a time. • Mother leopards hide their cubs for about 8 weeks. • They give them milk for about 3 months.
What is the estimated population today? • Less than 250 mature individuals by some estimates • No one knows for sure how many.
Why is it endangered? • Environmental changes—shrinking habitats • Loss of natural habitat • Poor condition of habitat • Human beings are the biggest threat to the survival of black panthers. • Farmers kill them to protect their animals. • Hunters kill them for sport. • Poachers kill them for their beautiful skins.
What human activities have made this animal endangered? • Taking over their habitat • Destroying forest • Hunting, killing and poaching
What positive actions have been taken to help? • Get different people and organizations to cooperate in protecting them • Stop poaching and illegal trade of the leopard and its prey • Have protected areas • Educate people about wildlife and hunting • Captive breeding programs • Get people to know about leopards!
What other steps can be taken? • Conservation should be a school subject—black leopards could be used as an example. • Scientists could develop fake fur that looks like a black leopard’s skin.
References • http://peaceriverrefuge.org/Leopard.html • http://randm2.tripod.com/blackleopard.html • http://www.care2.com/news/member/100041282/721741 • http://infao5501.ag5.mpi-sb.mpg.de:8080/topx/archive?link=Wikipedia-Lip6-2/44303.xml&style • http://www.panda.org/who_we_are/wwf_offices/russia/projects/?uProjectID=RU0110