Leopard (Asia)

Scientific Name: Panthera pardus

Subspecies: A total of 10 subspecies have been described, and four of these occur in this region: 1. Panthera p. jarvisti: Sinai 2. Panthera pl tulliani: Israel, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, southern Russia, Transcaucasia, Turkmeniya and east to China. 3. Panthera p. nimr: Southern part of the Arabian Peninsula, Yemen, Muscat, Oman and northern Saudi Arabia. 4. Panthera p. orientalis: The Amur-Ussuri region (Russia), northern Korea and northern Manchuria (China).

Habitat: From dense forest to open, dry steppe. Seen at very high altitudes.

Description: Big cat with a compact body and relatively short legs. It weighs around 90 kg and measures up to 70 cm over the shoulder. General colour yellow to yellowish brown with black spots forming rosettes. The tail is long with black spots. Underparts white. Colour variation: Almost totally black, called Panther: May appear in a litter of normal-coloured leopards. Leopards are nocturnal and return up to several times to their kill.

Hunting method: Stalking, on a kill, sometimes with packs of hounds.