Far Eastern leopard, also called amur leopard, the rarest cat of the Far East region. The Far Eastern leopard is the rarest feline on the planet.

Nine dozen individuals - this is official statistics, published by scientists after a meticulous census of the population of the Far Eastern leopards, one of the five subspecies of the spectacular cat family.

The unreasonable extermination by man has led beautiful predators to the brink of extinction and the inclusion of a whole subspecies in the list of Red Book animals.

Habitat

The Amur leopard is the northernmost representative of the species, its habitat extends far north, beyond the 45th parallel. Even at the beginning of the last century, these animals occupied the Amur and Ussuri regions, met on the Korean Peninsula and in a significant part of Chinese lands.

Nowadays, the last representatives of Amur leopards are found in the northern regions of Russia and the border forests of China (Manchuria).

Suitable for life deciduous forests, rugged terrain with rocky terrain, hills with cliffs, convenient for hunting. And be sure a large number of water resources availability of places for watering.

The Far Eastern leopard does not like high snow cover, it needs a large number of herbivores for a successful hunt.

According to scientists, the Russian population reaches eight dozen individuals, while Chinese Manchuria accounts for only about a dozen animals. So far, there are too few of them to hope for the successful conservation of the planet's northernmost leopard.

Appearance, dimensions and weight

Once upon a time, Amur leopards were distinguished by their solid weight, large males gained up to 75 kilograms. Modern animals are slightly smaller: males weigh no more than 70 kilograms, females maximum 50. The length of the beast reaches 136 centimeters, the tail can grow by 90.

The appearance of northern animals with a claim to feline grace, multiplied by power. The slender elongated body is topped with a neat round head, the legs are slender and strong, the tail of the Far Eastern leopard is strongly elongated.

If I could look into your eyes wild beast, then the vertical oval pupils would immediately attract attention, transforming into a circle when switching to night vision.

In the warm season, the Far Eastern leopard flaunts in a short "fur coat" bright colors, in winter it "changes clothes" in a thick (but not lush) outfit of muted colors. You can see almost red individuals with a reddish or golden tint.

An outstanding feature of the skin of the Far Eastern leopard is black spots that develop into ring-shaped patterns or rosettes scattered throughout the body of the animal.

The scatter of spots is unique, there are no two leopards all over the world with the same patterns on a beautiful skin. Such a bright color at first glance helps the forest hunter to disguise himself, merge with the outside world, and hunt more efficiently.

An interesting feature of the species is sharp chocolate claws with a white “manicure”, the animal can quickly draw them into the paw pad so as not to spoil it while walking on rocky terrain.

Behavior and lifestyle

Far Eastern leopard - single night Hunter, moving silently through its hunting grounds. The marked area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe forest directly depends on the sex of the animal and the encumbrance of the family.

A lone male owns a decent area, greatly exceeding the land of a young mother. But as the litter matures, the female expands her boundaries. Moving further and further away from the lair.

Young males have to conquer their pieces of land, sometimes fighting with seasoned fellow tribesmen. The poorest parts of the forest fall to the share of young people and nursing mothers, the game-rich lands are always dominated by the strongest representatives of the species.

The Amur leopard goes hunting with the last rays of the sun and usually gets dinner before midnight. This beast has two tactics in reserve: to quietly sneak up on a potential victim or to attack her from an ambush. The hunter is always alone, with the exception of mothers with grown offspring.

In winter, when the day is short, it can also hunt in daylight, following the tracks laid by wild boars so as not to make their way through snow drifts. At dusk, leopards descend to rivers and streams to drink.

Occasionally there are clashes between leopards and other large predators, but the beast does not have full-fledged enemies. It is extremely rare that the Far Eastern leopard wanders to human settlements; attacks on livestock are recorded once every ten years. Skirmishes with dogs often occur, in most cases this occurs in the hunting grounds of a predator.

The average life expectancy in the natural environment is ten years, some individuals live up to fifteen. In captivity, the life of Amur leopards is extended to twenty years.

Nutrition

The favorite dish of the Far Eastern predator is spotted deer and roe deer grazing in the habitats of the Amur leopard. If these representatives of artiodactyls do not come across to the beast, then a wild boar or a small deer will become a possible victim.

In difficult times, the predator switches to small animals, then game (grouse, pheasants), hares and badgers appear in its diet. "Chinese" leopards (inhabiting the lands of the PRC) expand their menu with local goats called gorals.

In the worst case, a predator can fast for two weeks without harm to health. But Far Eastern leopards consume plant food, grass and grains exclusively in preventive purposes thus cleansing the stomach.

Meat is necessarily included in the diet of small kittens, it becomes an additive to mother's milk. Babies receive the first meat in a semi-digested form from the mother, later she begins to deliver pieces of her prey to the family.

reproduction

Babies in this species of leopards appear very rarely, one pregnancy after three years. Unfortunately, there are very few mature, ready-to-breed females left. The situation is saved a little by the tendency of Amur leopards to polygamy, the pair is formed for a short time.

The mating season falls on November and December, the female ready for pregnancy informs the “cavaliers” about her position with frequent marks. But the lady still needs to be won, often several males achieve her location, announcing the surroundings with drawn-out loud cries.

As a result, the female goes to the male who won the "cat" battle. Priority and increased interest is shown to ladies who already have grown offspring. A female who has taken a walk sets up a den in a cozy cleft protected from the winds, and prepares to give birth three months after mating.

The maximum offspring of Far Eastern leopards is four blind spotted lumps. Although usually a couple of kittens are born. But, unfortunately, the mortality among newborns is too high. The eyes open after nine days, and the babies need a month to fully adapt. After another thirty days, they begin to explore the area near the lair.

The third month is the time to learn to hunt and explore the motherlands. Babies are already able to follow their mother for several kilometers. If you have to travel through snowdrifts, then the mother paves the path, and the little leopards follow her in single file.

The offspring receives mother's milk up to the age of six months, but from the third month meat is added to their diet. A one-year-old kitten can feed itself and survive in the wild, but it becomes an adult only by the age of two. From the age of two or three, the Amur leopard can create and acquire its own offspring.

Reasons for the downsizing

In addition to the extremely slow reproduction and replenishment of the population, the reason for the disappearance of the Far Eastern leopard was the barbaric human activity.

Forests and areas suitable for hunting grounds for predators. They are rapidly declining under the onslaught of civilization, plus forest fires “help”, destroying vegetation and forcing herbivores to migrate.

This also includes highways and railways laid through centuries-old forests, plowing land for fields, uncontrolled logging trees for logging.

Huge harm to the small population of Amur leopards is caused by poachers who poison animals with packs of dogs. Hunters seek to get the valuable skin of a beautiful animal, and Chinese healers pay more money for carcass parts used in the manufacture of potions.

Sometimes Far Eastern leopards become victims of reindeer park owners. Predators trying to get their own food are shot right on the spot of the “crime”. Very rarely, careless leopards are knocked down by cars passing along the highways.

Hunting for the Far Eastern leopard and its protection

Hunting for the most beautiful cat on the planet is strictly prohibited (since the fifties of the last century). The killer of the Amur leopard in China will have to pay own life. In Russia, a caught hunter will be imprisoned for three years, in a particularly serious case for seven years, and will pay a fine of two million rubles.

The predator was included in the Red Book of Primorsky Krai back in the sixties, but so far the population has not recovered. Nowadays, he looks at the reader from the pages of the International Red Book.

For more than a century, Far Eastern leopards have been protected on the lands of a specially created reserve "Kedrovaya Pad". In the 21st century, the Leopard Wildlife Sanctuary and the Land of the Leopards National Park were added to the legally protected lands.

The rescue of Amur leopards is carried out by governmental and non-governmental organizations that develop programs and plans. Specialists from the World Wildlife Fund joined the noble mission at the end of the last century.

The Far Eastern leopard is a beautiful and unique animal that deserves its place on our planet. This is not a domestic cat, not a toy, but a predator worthy of respect. And I want them to continue to live, and not become another line in a long list of forever lost representatives of the terrestrial fauna.

The main reasons for the extinction of the Far Eastern leopards include the development by people of their original habitats and a sharp decrease in the number of animals suitable for their food.

But one can hope that the actions taken by Russia and China, in the form of creating protected lands and tightening the punishment for killing the Amur leopard, will increase the number of animals and permanently delete them from the pages of the Red Book.

Item the world, theme - animals listed in the Red Book of Russia, grade 3-4.

We offer you a selection of materials for self-preparation of a message or short story around the world in grades 3-4 on the topic "Animals of the Red Book of Russia - the Far Eastern (Amur) leopard.

LEOPARD (PANTHERA PARDUS)
Kingdom: animals (Animalia).
Type: chordates (Chordata).
Class: mammals (Mammalia).
Order: predatory (Carnivora).
Family: cats (Felidae).
Genus: panthers (Panthera).
Species: leopard ( Panthera pardus).
Subspecies: Western Asian (ciscaucasicus), Far Eastern (orientalis).

Far Eastern leopard, or Amur leopard predatory mammal from the cat family, one of the subspecies of the leopard. The body length is 107-136 cm. The weight of males is up to 50 kg, females - up to 42.5 kg. Distributed in the area of ​​mountain coniferous-deciduous and oak forests Far East, near the border of three countries - Russia, China and North Korea.

Leopards are in serious danger. Listed in the Red Book of Russia and has the first conservation status. It means that this species became endangered from the wild, the number has decreased to a critical level, and the range has been greatly reduced.

Why is it listed in the Red Book

Even at the beginning of the last century, this panther could often be found in many areas of Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territory. The modern fauna of Russia includes two subspecies of the leopard - the Western Asian (Panthera pardus ciscaucasicus) and the Far Eastern (Panthera pardus orientalis). Both are disappearing. In the 20th century, when the process of mass economic development of the Far East and Siberia began, the area of ​​natural habitats suitable for many animals was sharply reduced. The leopard was no exception. In the last 20 years alone, the range of this animal has almost halved. According to Russian branch WWF, about 30 individuals live in Primorye today.

Two-month-old baby leopard looks like a normal kitten

habitat

The Far Eastern subspecies can only be found in the extreme southwest of Primorsky Krai, where a tiny population of this animal remains. Mountainous areas with age-old deciduous forests- a favorite habitat of the Far Eastern leopard.

In Southern Primorye, the leopard keeps to low mountains with broad-leaved forests of the Manchurian type and coniferous-broad-leaved forests there,
where there is no deep snow in winter. Leopard eating various types ungulates, hares, pheasants, sometimes attacks young white-breasted bears. Among his natural enemies are in the first place Amur tigers and gray wolves.

The zone of life of the leopard is forested, heavily dissected mountain areas with narrow watershed ridges and steep slopes, ridges with rocky outcrops up to altitudes of 300-500 m above sea level. High in the mountains, especially in winter, the leopard does not climb. Staying even at altitudes of 650-700 m is not quite usual. Random felling of conifers, as well as mature oak and ash, accompanied by the laying of new roads and facilitating access to the most remote and best lands, causes a steady reduction in places suitable for the Amur leopard.

The list of dietary species of the Far Eastern leopard includes 25 items, but the stability and well-being of the population is determined by two species: roe deer and spotted deer. A number of species, such as the badger, raccoon dog and Manchurian hare, are of secondary importance in the diet of the leopard, but in years of declining populations of roe deer and sika deer caused by snowy winters, they can play key role in his survival.

Lifestyle and biology

The leopard remains a typical cat that walks by itself. He prefers to hunt at night and always alone. The area of ​​an individual site can reach 400 km2, but if bioresources are limited, it can be much less. The leopard always hunts from ambush, often hiding in the canopy of trees, and when there is no prey nearby, it can simply rest for a while. If the ambush jump fails, the leopard does not pursue the fleeing game.

Young leopards become independent about 2.5 years after birth. In nutrition, this predator prefers ungulates. But he will not refuse foxes, wolves, various rodents and even reptiles. Leopards can also eat domestic animals, mainly dogs and sheep. IN wild nature animals live for about 10–12 years, and in captivity they can reach 21 years of age.

This is interesting

In former times, it was believed that the leopard is a hybrid of a lion and a panther, and the name of the animal comes from two words: leon - "lion" and pardos - "panther". However, it is not. After all, a leopard and a panther are representatives of the same species. But already hybrids of a leopard and other felines are a reality. By the way, the black panther and the spotted leopard are the same animal. Just a panther is a melanistic leopard that is found only in Southeast Asia.

According to the analysis of fossil remains, the first ancestor of the leopard appeared about 3.8 million years ago.

How to find out

This member of the subfamily big cats really has an impressive size. Depending on the habitat and some individual characteristics, the body length and weight of leopards can vary significantly. In Russia, the body length of the animal, excluding the tail, ranges from 90 to 190 cm, and the weight of males is from 60 to 80 kg.

Predators that inhabit forests are usually smaller and lighter. The language of the leopard is interesting. Its entire surface is covered with tubercles with keratinized epithelium: they perfectly help the predator to separate the meat from the bones of the prey. The tongue also serves the animal for washing.

And of course, the “fur coat” of the leopard looks just amazing! Saturated shades of yellow - from straw-gray to reddish-brown - in which thick fur is dyed, and the natural grace of the panther leave an unforgettable impression.

The number of East Siberian leopards in our country is extremely low. In the 80s. 20th century in the Far East, there were only 20-25 permanently living leopards and about 20 cases of animals entering from the territory of China and Korea.

Currently, the Far Eastern leopard is on the verge of extinction. This is the rarest of the leopard subspecies: as of February 2015, 57 individuals remained in the wild in the territory of the National Park "Land of the Leopard" and from 8 to 12 in China.

The decrease in the number of animals and the reduction in the range is associated not only with direct persecution by humans, but also with a decrease in the number of ungulates that the leopard feeds on. A negative role is played by the intensive economic development of its habitat. The East Siberian leopard is included in the IUCN-96 Red List and Appendix I of the CITES Convention.

The Far Eastern leopard is protected in the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve. Specially for the protection of the leopard in 1979, the reserve of republican significance Barsovy was created, however, there are 2 active military training grounds on its territory and intensive economic activity is carried out. In 1996, the Borisovskoye plateau, a reserve of regional significance, was organized, partially covering the peripheral part of the leopard habitat, and it plays a very relative role in the conservation of the species.

Priority steps to save the Far Eastern leopard should include the organization of effective protection of the reserve, wildlife sanctuaries and hunting grounds located in the range of the leopard, the prohibition of the use of traps, hunting for ungulates with packs of dogs in the habitats of the leopard.

Improving the network and increasing the effectiveness of specially protected natural areas should be considered as the most reliable method of protecting the Far Eastern leopard. It is kept and breeds well in captivity, however, there are only about 10 purebred individuals of the Far Eastern subspecies, it is necessary to conduct breeding work.

The rarest cat on the planet - this unspoken title has been held for many years by the Far Eastern leopard, whose position (against the background of other leopard subspecies) is recognized as especially critical.

Description of the Far Eastern leopard

The first, back in 1857, under the specific name Felis orientalis, it was described by the German naturalist Hermann Schlegel, who studied the skin of an animal killed in Korea. The predator has many names - the Manchurian (obsolete) or Amur leopard, the Far Eastern or East Siberian leopard, as well as the Amur leopard. The modern Latin name Panthera pardus orientalis was acquired by Ingrid Weigel in 1961.

Appearance

A powerful wild cat with stunningly beautiful fur, whose spotted pattern never repeats like our fingerprints. This feature is used to identify Amur leopards, which are observed in nature. The Far Eastern leopard is inferior to the tiger in size, gaining 50–70 kg in adulthood with a length of 1.1–1.4 m. But the leopard has a more impressive tail (up to 0.9 m), almost equal to the length of the body.

On a small head, neat, rounded ears are widely planted, eyes are transparent gray, the pupil is round, in the mouth (like many cats) there are 30 teeth and a tuberculate movable tongue that helps to wash and separate meat from bones. The Far Eastern leopard has wide strong paws, especially the front ones. They are equipped with extremely sharp and curved claws, which the predator retracts when walking so as not to blunt.

This is interesting! In summer, the coat is half as long as in winter: by cold weather, it grows up to 5 cm (on the belly up to 7 cm). True, even winter fur cannot be called lush because of its tight fit to the body.

Winter color varies from light yellow to yellowish red with golden hues or reddish rusty. By summer, the coat becomes brighter. The sides of the leopard and the outer side of the limbs are always lighter in color.

A unique ornament is created thanks to solid black spots scattered over the body and complemented by rosettes (uneven black circles that close the red color inside). This coloring allows the predator to disguise itself while hunting: the spots visually blur the contours of the body, making it hardly noticeable in the forest.

Lifestyle, behavior

The life of the Far Eastern leopard is largely determined by the harsh climate and general behavioral motives. wild cats: the predator is fundamentally solitary, strictly territorial, active at dusk and at night. To communicate with relatives, it uses voice, visual and odor tags, or a combination of tags. The former include scuffing on trunks, trace chains, as well as loosening of soil and snow. The smell comes from urine and faeces.

The leopard has been using an individual territory, permanent trails and shelters for broods for many years, sharply suppressing the presence of individuals of the same sex on it. The position and area of ​​personal plots do not depend on the season and remain unchanged year-round.

Males do not enter the territories of males, nor do females enter the territories of other females, but males' territories include the territories of several females visited during the rut. Another subtlety - leopards strictly observe the inviolability of their central sectors, but not the outskirts.

This is interesting! The area of ​​the male site is 250–500 km², several times larger than the area of ​​the female area, which averages 110–130 km². The Amur leopard regularly bypasses the personal territory, marking trees with its claws and leaving scent marks on the borders.

In this absentee way, animals divide the territory, limiting themselves, if necessary, to behavioral threats and rarely entering into direct conflicts. Traces deadly fight observers did not find leopards, although they found signs of a struggle between two males for conditional boundaries. One of the researchers told about a “contact” collision of a young leopard, marking someone else's territory, with its owner, who spotted the insolent, drove him up a tree and gave him a demonstrative beating.

Far Eastern leopards do not like deep snow, which is why they probably do not try to settle further north. In winter, avoiding snowdrifts, predators move more along ski tracks, animal trails and roads. Leopards hunt in the first half of the night, leaving an hour or two before sunset. They also go to the watering hole after sunset. Twilight activity is replaced by daytime activity, especially on rainy or frosty days.

Important! The Amur leopard has very sharp eyesight, thanks to which he sees a potential prey at a distance of up to 1.5 km. Hearing and sense of smell are no less well developed, helping to get away from a meeting with a person.

The Far Eastern leopard, unlike its southern relatives, does not attack people, preferring to carefully follow them, not betraying its presence. Most often, young leopards peep at a person, whose curiosity is dictated by age.

How long do Amur leopards live

In the wild, representatives of the species do not live very long, only 10–15 years, but twice as long, up to 20 years, in zoological parks.

sexual dimorphism

There are no anatomical sex differences between males and females, except for the lighter structure of the skull in females and their smaller size compared to males. The weight of the female usually varies between 25–42.5 kg.

Range, habitats

The Far Eastern leopard is the most frost-resistant of almost 30 known subspecies of Panthera pardus, living just north of the 45th parallel. Once the range of the Amur leopard in the Far East covered almost the entire Sikhote-Alin ridge. At the beginning of the 20th century, the range of the Amur leopard included:

  • Eastern/Northeastern China;
  • Amur and Ussuri regions;
  • Korean peninsula.

Today, a rare animal has survived in our country (on a strip 50-60 km wide) only in the south-west of Primorye, and, presumably, several individuals live in China, periodically crossing the Russian-Chinese border.

Like most large predators, the Far Eastern leopard is not strictly associated with one type of habitat, but prefers rugged terrain with steep slopes of hills, where there are watersheds and rock outcrops.

The Amur leopard often settles in rugged terrain with untouched coniferous-broad-leaved forests, among oaks and cedar, where ungulates are found in abundance - its main prey.

Important! The trouble is that there are very few such forests left in Primorye. Since the end of the century before last, due to the laying of highways, the construction of cities and massive clearings, the historical range of the Far Eastern leopard has decreased by 40 (!) Times.

Today, the leopard is squeezed from all sides (between the Chinese border, the sea, residential areas around Vladivostok and the Vladivostok-Khabarovsk highway, where Railway) and has to make do with an isolated plot of up to 400 hectares. This is its current range.

The diet of the Far Eastern leopard

The Amur leopard is a real predator, whose diet, predominantly consisting of ungulates, is occasionally interspersed with birds and insects.

The leopard hunts such game as:

  • and musk deer;
  • spotted;
  • red deer calves;
  • and Manchu.

Owners are hostile to leopards deer farms, where animals periodically penetrate, bullying park deer.

This is interesting! An adult predator needs 1 large ungulate for 12–15 days, but sometimes the interval between the capture of suitable prey is doubled, up to 20–25 days. The beast has learned to endure protracted hunger strikes.

The leopard usually hunts on selected points of its territory, using 2 standard tricks: ambush or hide the victim. The second method is more often used for roe deer, stealing them when they are feeding or resting. There are also group outings of a female leopard with a brood. Tracking the prey, the Amur leopard follows the terrain, hiding behind hills, not stepping on dry branches/leaves, carefully stepping on exposed roots and stones.

It overtakes game with a sharp jerk or a powerful 5–6 meter jump, throwing it to the ground and biting the cervical vertebrae. It does not chase animals for a long time, stopping the pursuit if they break away short distance. With a successful hunt, the leopard drags the carcass (protecting it from scavengers) into rock crevices or trees, eating it for several days.

Cereals (up to 7.6%) are often found in the feces of a leopard, which is explained by their ability to remove from digestive tract hair that enters the stomach when licking the fur.

Reproduction and offspring

The rut of the Far Eastern leopard is timed to coincide with winter (December–January). At this time, males show great interest in females who have adult, almost independent kittens. Like all cats, the rut is accompanied by roars and fights of males (although the leopard, more silent against the background of a lion and a tiger, rarely gives a voice at other times).

The reproductive capabilities of the Amur leopard are limited by several factors that explain the polygamy of males:

  • the female becomes pregnant 1 time in 3 years (less often once a year);
  • in 80% of cases, 1-2 cubs appear;
  • a small number of females capable of reproduction;
  • high juvenile mortality.

3 months after successful mating, the female brings spotted long-haired kittens, each of which weighs 0.5–0.7 kg and is no more than 15 cm long. a den built by a female in a cave, under an overhanging rock or in a rocky collapse.

Important! The mother feeds the kittens with milk from 3 to 5–6 months, but at 6–8 weeks she begins to feed them with belching (half-digested meat), gradually accustoming them to fresh.

By 2 months, little leopards crawl out of the den, and at 8 months they follow their mother in search of food, deciding on independent sorties at 9–10 months of age. Young animals stay with their mother until her next estrus, uniting until the end of winter in groups, when the female leaves them. At first, they wander not far from the lair, gradually moving away from it further and further. Young males show independence earlier than their sisters, but the latter are ahead of their brothers in puberty. Fertility in males occurs at about 2-3 years of age.

The rarest cat in the world, the number of which in nature is about 70 individuals.

Systematics

The Russian name of the subspecies is Amur or Korean leopard, Far Eastern leopard, East Siberian leopard
Latin name - Panthera pardus orientalis
English name- Amur leopard, panthera
Squad - predatory (Carnivora)
Family - cats (Felidae)
Genus - Pantera
Species - leopard (Panthera pardus), within which there are 6 living subspecies.

The status of the species in nature

It is listed in the Red Books of the IUCN and Russia as a subspecies under the threat of complete extinction - CITES I, IUCN (CR).

View and person

From time immemorial, man hunted the leopard, and the prey of such an animal was considered valor. But times are changing, there are more and more people, and there are fewer predatory animals. In addition to hunting predators themselves, people also hunt their potential prey - ungulates, successfully competing with animals. Currently, the leopard is protected by law, however, a decrease in the area of ​​​​untouched by economic activity lands and a decrease in the number of ungulates is forcing the animals to make ever longer journeys in search of food. Sometimes they are overtaken by a poacher's bullet, and sometimes they simply cannot meet a partner for procreation.

The Far Eastern leopard is the rarest and most northern of the leopard subspecies. Currently, this beast is actively studied not only tried and tested methods naturalists: trailing in the footsteps, exploring the remains of life, but also with the help of modern ones. Scientists tag these animals with radio collars, install camera traps, and, due to the fact that the pattern of spots on the skin of each animal is individual, portraits of almost all Far Eastern leopards have been made. As of February 2015, 56 individuals remained in the wild in Russia and from 8 to 12 individuals in China.
Various international organizations also play an active role in the study and conservation of these wonderful animals. environmental organizations. Recently, the National Park "Land of the Leopard" was created, which united the Kedrovaya Pad Reserve, the Leopard Wildlife Sanctuary and the surrounding areas. In the past few years, thanks to the efforts made, the number of Amur leopards in nature has begun to increase.

Total information

Range and habitats

As early as the beginning of the 20th century, the range of the Amur leopard captured East and Northeast China, the Korean Peninsula, the Amur and Ussuri Territories. To date, this animal has survived only in Southern Primorye and, possibly, several individuals live in China.

Like most large predators, this animal is not associated with any one type of habitat. Its presence can be noted on forested slopes and ridges of mountain spurs with rocks and placers. It also keeps on low mountains with broad-leaved forests of the Manchurian type, where there is not much snow in winter.

Appearance and morphology

This remarkably beautiful cat has a flexible, slender and at the same time elongated body, a rounded head, a long tail, slender, very strong legs. According to the measurements of 6 males, the body length of the Far Eastern leopard is 107–136 cm, the tail is 82–90 cm, the height at the shoulders is 64–78 cm. The body weight of females is up to 42.5 kg, males - up to 50 kg.

The color of the main background of winter fur is brilliant, from light cream to more intense yellowish-red with a golden hue; lighter on the sides and outer side of the limbs; on the stomach and inside limbs - white. The spotted pattern consists of intensely black solid or annular spots. On the belly and limbs the spots are solid. Summer fur with more saturated colors. The length of the fur on the back is up to 30-50 mm, on the belly up to 70 mm.


The rarest cat in the world - the number in nature is no more than 25 individuals


The rarest cat in the world - the number in nature is no more than 25 individuals


The rarest cat in the world - the number in nature is no more than 25 individuals


The rarest cat in the world - the number in nature is no more than 25 individuals


The rarest cat in the world - the number in nature is no more than 25 individuals


The rarest cat in the world - the number in nature is no more than 25 individuals

Activity and social organization

Leads mainly a twilight lifestyle. It usually goes hunting an hour or two before sunset and hunts the first half of the night, although it sometimes pursues prey during the day, especially on cloudy cold days and in winter. It also appears at the watering hole at dusk.

Like other large cats, the leopard does not like to share territory with other individuals of its species, however, the habitats of the male and females may overlap. The female with kittens has a small habitat area, approximately 4–5 hectares, the male leads a more nomadic lifestyle.

Feeding and feeding behavior

The diet of the leopard mainly consists of ungulates: roe deer, young wild boar, spotted deer and red deer calves. In addition, it eats hares, badgers, raccoon dogs, pheasants, hazel grouses and various insects. On average, one roe deer can last a leopard for 10 days of a well-fed life.

The leopard hunts for roe deer by stealing them while feeding or on the haul. The victim is overtaken by a short jerk, sometimes ending with a powerful 5-6 meter jump, knocks to the ground, biting the cervical vertebrae. If the victim is not overtaken at a short distance, the leopard stops the pursuit. In familiar territory, the beast has favorite hunting grounds. Near the prey, the leopard lingers for 1–3 days. In an effort to protect prey, he drags it under the crowns of trees and on trees, under creases and rocks.

Reproduction and development

The rut of the Far Eastern leopard falls on the winter months (December-January). After 3 months, from 1 to 5 cubs appear in the den, which the female arranges in placers of stones, in caves and under overhanging rocks, usually there are 2–3 of them. Kittens are born blind, covered with thick, rather long hair. The skin is dotted with small dark brown and black spots that do not form rosettes. The weight of a newborn is 500–700 g, the body length is about 15 cm. They begin to see clearly on the 7–9th day. On the 12-15th day, the kittens begin to crawl around the nest, and by two months they leave the den. At this time, the female regurgitates half-digested meat to them, then they begin to eat the prey brought by the mother.

The female feeds the kittens alone. Young animals stay with their mother until her next estrus, and, left by the female, do not part with each other until the end of winter. They stay close for a while, and then they can go long distances. Apparently, mortality among young and 1-2 year old leopards is very high, but kittens can be born annually.

Lifespan

In captivity, some animals lived up to 21 years, in nature, life expectancy is much less.

Keeping animals in the Moscow Zoo

Several Far Eastern leopards now live in the Moscow Zoo. One of them, named Mizer, can be seen at the exposition, the rest live in a zoo for breeding rare species and successfully breed there. A young handsome male, which can be seen at the exposition in the "Cat's Row" in the Old Territory of the Zoo, was also born in the zoo. He is not at all afraid of people, you can see him all day long, but he, like other cats, is far from always active.

Currently, there are more Far Eastern leopards in zoos than in the wild. Unfortunately, many of them are already old. In captivity, it is very difficult to get offspring from leopards: partners often do not like each other, and in order to play new wedding you need to bring an animal from another zoo. Leopards are serious animals, and transporting them is not an easy task. Therefore, we are very proud that we have managed to create conditions in which the animals feel comfortable and give birth regularly. All leopards kept in captivity are listed in the International Stud Book.
Leopards are fed with the meat of various animals, mainly beef. Periodically give vitamin and mineral supplements and sprouted greens of cereals.

The Far Eastern leopard is perhaps the only species of this animal that lives in Russia, namely in the Far East. It should be noted that a small number of representatives of this species live in China. Another name for this species is the Amur leopard. It is probably not worth describing the appearance of this predator, since it is almost impossible to convey beauty and grandeur in words.

The saddest thing is that this moment the subspecies is on the verge of extinction, therefore it is listed in the Red Book. The population of the Far Eastern leopard is so small that the probability of its complete extinction is high. Therefore, the habitats of the predator of this species are under careful protection. Experts in this field argue that it is possible to get out of the critical situation if the implementation of environmental projects is started.

Description of the breed

Despite the fact that this type of predator belongs to the cat, it has a fairly large number of differences. So, in the summer season, the length of the wool is no more than 2.5 centimeters. But in the cold season, the woolen cover becomes larger - up to 7 centimeters. The color also changes - in the summer it is more saturated, but in winter it becomes much lighter, which actually has a completely logical explanation. The light color allows the animal to effectively disguise itself and thus successfully hunt its prey.

The male weighs about 60 kilograms. Females are slightly smaller - rarely weighing more than 43 kilograms. It should be noted the structure of the body of this predator - long legs allow you to move quickly not only in the warm season, but also in periods when everything is filled up enough big amount snow.

As for the habitat, the leopard chooses relief areas, with various slopes, vegetation, and always with water bodies. At the moment, the habitat of these animals is located on only 15,000 square kilometers in the region of Primorye, as well as on the border with the DPRK and China.

Life cycle

In the wild, that is, in its natural habitat, the Far Eastern leopard lives for about 15 years. Oddly enough, but in captivity this representative of predators lives longer - about 20 years.

The mating season is in the spring. Puberty in a leopard of this species, it occurs after three years. Over the entire life span, the female can give birth to 1 to 4 cubs. Maternal care lasts about 1.5 years. Until about six months, the mother breastfeeds her cub, after which a gradual weaning occurs. Upon reaching the age of one and a half years, the leopard completely departs from its parents and begins an independent life.

Nutrition

It should be noted that in China there are quite large areas, which, in fact, are ideal for a leopard of this species to live and breed there. The only extremely negative circumstance is the lack of feed. At the same time, it should be noted that this extremely negative factor can be eliminated if the process of using forests by the population is regulated. In other words, these areas should be made protected areas and hunting should be prohibited there.

The critical decline in the number of the Far Eastern leopard is due to the fact that animals are being shot in order to get beautiful, and therefore expensive fur.

The only way to restore the number and natural habitat of this animal is to prevent the extermination of leopards by poachers and to protect those areas that are their habitat. Sadly, but so far everything is going precisely to the disappearance of this species of animals, and not to increase their numbers.

Video about the Far Eastern leopard