Med 303 assignment Reg # 2008-ag-2810 Roll # 603DVM 6thTOPIC

CLASSIFICATIONKindom Animalia Phylum Chordata Class Mammalia Order Carnivora Suborder Feliformia Family Felidae

Body weight :Male : 80-198 poundsFemale : 60-130 pounds

Litter size: 2-3

Gestation period : 90-195 days

Nuritition : Mammals and some birds. Rabbits would probably be the main diet in the UK. They will also take Muntjak Deer and Chinese Water Deer. Sheep are sometimes taken.

Breeding season : non-seasonalDistribution : British Isles. China, Indo-China, India, Southern Arabia and the southern half of Africa.

Salient features

Leopards are famous for their ability to go undetected. They may live practically among humans and still be tough to spot. They are graceful and stealthy. Of all the big cats, they are probably the most accomplished stalkers. They are agile climbers and can descend from a tree headfirst

They are mainly nocturnal but can be seen at any time of day and will even hunt during daytime on overcast days. Leopards are solitary, avoiding one another,although at times they have been spotted in groups of 3-4.

Hearing and eyesight are the strongest of these cats' senses and are extremely acute. When making a threat, leopards stretch their backs, depress their ribcages between their shoulder blades so they stick out, and lower their heads (much like our domestic cats).

Considered the most adaptable of the big cats, it eats just about anything.

During the day they may lie in bush, on rocks, or in a tree with their tails hanging below the treetops so they can be seen.

Black leopards are actually born to spotted parents

The pregnant females find a cave, crevice among boulders, hollow tree, or thicket to give birth and make a den.

Cubs open their eyes after a period of 10 days.

The fur of the young tends to be longer and thicker than that of adults

Leopards' coloration is extremely effective. Scientists have been unable to spot these cats just a few yards away even knowing that they were present. Although a strong and competent hunter the leopard is not without threat from other carnivores - because of this the leopard commonly catches its prey high in the boughs of trees away from packs of scavenging hyenas and opportunistic lions.

It is here that the leopard demonstrates its huge strength - its powerful limb and neck muscles enabling it to carry a fully grown male antelope or even young giraffe,

often weighing up to three times its own body weight, high into the tree tops.

Black Leopards are not fussy eaters, usually hunting at night or very early in the morning. They prefer to remain hidden during daylight hours, resting and sleeping. A Black Leopard is a spotted Leopard with black fur (see Melanistic). The spots of the leopard can be seen under the black colour in the right lighting conditions.

...global distribution of Black Leopard shown by red colour.

ReferanceReference- (Nowak, 1997, Guggisberg, 1975)

copyright 2000 Ian Wickison

ReferanceNatural history or Second division of The English Encyclopedia Volume 1page 778.The leopard in India : a natural history J.C Daniel.Life in Abyssinia : being notes collected during 3 years. Vol 2 page 290 by Mansfield parkyns.