The Far Eastern (Amur) leopard is a beautiful and rare animal. Amur leopard - what the Far Eastern leopard looks like Far Eastern leopard brief description

Land of the Leopard. Carousel of life
With this film, commissioned by WWF, the Call of the Taiga studio ends its “leopardian” series of 10 films over 20 years. The film received a special prize at the international film festival "Save and Preserve" in Khanty-Mansiysk.

The very best

In the story about the Far Eastern leopard, every time you have to use the definitions “MOST” and “ONLY”. This is the northernmost subspecies of leopard and the only one that has learned to live and hunt in the snow. This is the most peaceful subspecies of leopard and the only one that has signed a non-aggression pact with humans. But, unfortunately, this pact turned out to be one-sided. Our leopard never attacks a person, and a person remains a mortal threat to him. Poaching continues for the leopard itself and for its food - roe deer and sika deer, deforestation, systematic burning of vegetation, reconstruction and construction of roads, leopards getting caught in snares and traps intended for other animals. As a result, the historical range of the animal is rapidly “drying out”; the leopard disappeared from the Southern Sikhote-Alin and survived only in the South-West of Primorye. Today, the Amur leopard turned out to be the RAREST big cat on the planet. IN wildlife about 80 animals left!

Leopard reintroduction program

In November 2013, the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources approved a new edition of the Far Eastern Leopard Conservation Strategy, for the implementation of which leading scientists and experts, with the participation of WWF, developed an action plan until 2022 and a program for the reintroduction of this rare cat. These are fundamental documents that are the key to the conservation of the predator. At the new stage, the tasks are set to increase the population of the Far Eastern leopard in the southwest of Primorye and the adjacent territories of the PRC and the DPRK to 100 individuals, as well as the reintroduction of leopards from zoos to create a second viable population on the basis Lazovsky Reserve. WWF's task in this process is to provide comprehensive assistance, primarily expert assistance.

What has already been done?

The World Wildlife Fund constantly allocated funds to equip anti-poaching teams with everything necessary, ensured fire fighting, and organized educational work with schoolchildren. For the last 10+ years, we have been painfully trying to create a single large specially protected natural area that would cover the main core of the rare cat population. And so, in April 2012, it was created national park“Land of the Leopard”, which is more than 10 times larger in area than the Kedrovaya Pad nature reserve , on whose territory the leopard was protected before!

Now at the very rare leopard finally had a chance to survive. But in order to realize this chance, it is necessary to establish constant and reliable protection of this vast territory from poachers and fires, as well as effective educational work with the population. WWF provides support to the new joint directorate national park“Land of the Leopard” and the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve provide active and active assistance in this direction.

What else?

And thanks to another project that the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) is conducting in Russia and China with the support of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, it was possible to strengthen the protection of the territory in the south-west of Primorye - the only place in our country where two of the rarest big cats live - Amur tiger and Far Eastern leopard. Funds are used to support anti-poaching activities, the work of regional protected areas, tracking and prevention conflict situations with large predators.

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

Description of the Far Eastern leopard

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

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 monitored 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 set wide, eyes are transparent gray, a round pupil, in the mouth (like many cats) there are 30 teeth and a tuberous, mobile tongue that helps to wash and also 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 to avoid blunting.

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-rust. By summer the coat becomes brighter. The sides of the leopard and the outer side of the limbs are always lighter in color.

The unique ornament is created thanks to solid black spots scattered throughout the body and complemented by rosettes (uneven black circles enclosing a red color within themselves). This coloring allows the predator to camouflage itself when hunting: the spots visually blur the contours of the body, making it less noticeable in the forest.

Lifestyle, behavior

The life of the Far Eastern leopard is largely determined by the harsh climate and the general behavioral motives of 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 marks, or a combination of marks. The former include burrs on trunks, trace chains, as well as loosening of soil and snow. The smell is left by urine and feces.

The leopard uses an individual territory, permanent paths and shelters for broods for many years, sharply suppressing the presence of individuals of its own sex on it. The position and area of personal plots do not depend on the season and remain unchanged all year round.

Males do not enter the territories of males, nor do females enter the territories of other females, but male territories include the territories of several females visited during the rut. Another subtlety is that leopards strictly maintain 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 site, which averages 110–130 km². Amur leopard regularly walks around its personal territory, marking trees with its claws and leaving scent marks on the boundaries.

In this absentee way, animals divide territory, limiting themselves, if necessary, to behavioral threats and rarely entering into direct conflicts. Traces mortal combat The observers did not find any leopards, although they did find signs of two males fighting for conditional boundaries. One of the researchers spoke about a “contact” encounter between a young leopard, who was marking someone else’s territory, and its owner, who found the impudent one, drove him up a tree and gave him a demonstrative thrashing.

Far Eastern leopards do not like deep snow, which is probably why they do not try to spread 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 watering after sunset. Twilight activity gives way to daytime activity, especially on stormy or frosty days.

Important! The Amur leopard has very acute vision, thanks to which it sees potential prey at a distance of up to 1.5 km. Hearing and smell are no less well developed, helping to avoid meeting a person.

The Far Eastern leopard, unlike its southern relatives, does not attack people, preferring to carefully follow them without giving away its presence. Most often, young leopards spy on people, 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 skull structure of 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 Panthera pardus, living just north of the 45th parallel. Once the range of the Amur leopard was Far East covered almost the entire Sikhote-Alin ridge. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Amur leopard's distribution area included:

East/Northeast China;
Amur and Ussuri territories;
Korean Peninsula.

Today, a rare animal has survived in our country (on a strip 50–60 km wide) only in the southwest 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 rocky outcrops.

The Amur leopard often settles in rough terrain with untouched coniferous deciduous 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 fellings 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 is forced to make do with an isolated area of up to 400 hectares. This is its modern range.

Diet of the Far Eastern leopard

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

The leopard hunts such game as:

and musk deer;
spotted;
wapiti 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 catching suitable prey doubles, to 20–25 days. The beast has learned to endure prolonged hunger strikes.

The leopard usually hunts at selected points in its territory, using 2 standard techniques: attacking from ambush or stealing the victim. The second method is more often used for roe deer, hiding them when they are feeding or resting. There are also group forays of a female leopard with her brood. When tracking prey, the Amur leopard follows the terrain, hiding behind elevations, not stepping on dry branches/foliage, and carefully stepping on exposed roots and stones.

It overtakes the game with a sharp jerk or a powerful 5-6 meter jump, knocking it to the ground and biting the cervical vertebrae. Does not chase animals for a long time, stopping the pursuit if they get separated by short distance. If the hunt is successful, the leopard drags the carcass (protecting it from scavengers) into rock crevices or trees, eating it for several days.

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

Reproduction and offspring

The rut of the Far Eastern leopard is confined to 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 compared to the lion and tiger, rarely gives 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 once every 3 years (less than once a year);
in 80% of cases, 1–2 cubs appear;
a small number of females capable of reproduction;
high mortality of young animals.

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 ruin.

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

By 2 months, small leopards crawl out of the den, and at 8 months they follow their mother in search of food, deciding on independent forays at 9–10 months of age. Young animals remain with their mother until her next heat, uniting in groups until the end of winter, when the female leaves them. At first they wander close to the den, gradually moving further and further away from it. Young males show independence earlier than their sisters, but the latter are ahead of their brothers in puberty. Males become fertile at approximately 2–3 years of age.

VERTEBRATES - VERTEBRATA
Class: Mammals
Order: Carnivores - Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Genus: Panthera

The Far Eastern leopard or Amur leopard (leopard), an endangered subspecies of the cat family, is listed in the Red Book. It differs from its tropical counterparts in its thick, long fur, especially noticeable in its winter plumage. In addition to the Far Eastern, seven more subspecies of leopards are listed in the International Red Book - Chinese, Ceylon, Javan, Persian, South Arabian, North African and Anatolian. Translated from Latin, the word “leo pardus” means “spotted lion” and now this genus (Leopardus) includes smaller wild cats - oncillas and ocelots, and the leopard itself belongs to the genus “panther” along with its closest larger relatives - tigers, lions and jaguars. Leopard. or more correctly, the “spotted panther” (Panthera pardus,) is one of the most common and well-known predators, usually subtropical, tropical and equatorial belts Eastern hemisphere of the planet. There are 35 subspecies of leopards in the world, differing from each other mainly in color and location of spots. They live in savannas and tropical forests Africa, in the oases of the Sahara Desert, among the mountain ranges of India, on the Yangtze Plateau in China and in the south of the Russian Far East.

Description and dimensions

The weight of male Far Eastern leopards varies between 32-48 kilograms; previously, larger representatives of the species weighing up to 60-75 kilograms were also found. Females weigh much less than males, their weight reaches 25-43 kilograms.

The average body length of Amur leopards is 105-135 centimeters. At the withers they reach 65-75 centimeters, have long tail about 80-90 centimeters in size.

The predator has thick, soft and long fur. IN summer time The length of the fur is 2.5 centimeters, and in winter the fur becomes much longer - 7.5 centimeters. The fur on the back is shorter than on the belly. The main color of the skin is pale yellow, but the chest, belly and tips of the paws are lighter than the rest of the body. The skin is decorated with black spots. On the back and sides, the spots are closely adjacent to each other, and between them there are spaces of a yellowish-red color. The coloring of Amur leopards is much lighter than that of African and Indian leopards. Distinctive feature Far Eastern leopards have blue-green eyes.

Hunting and food

The Amur leopard is a crepuscular predator. Goes out hunting in the evening. Most often it hunts by hiding. His keen vision helps him see prey more than a kilometer away!
The basis of its diet is made up of wild ungulates - small wild boars, roe deer, wapiti, and musk deer. Sometimes a hungry leopard approaches human habitation and attacks domestic animals. This, however, happens extremely rarely.

The Far Eastern panther is not averse to feasting on the Manchurian hare, common foxes, animals of the mustelid family (ermines, sables, weasels), ordinary proteins, some birds. They can't even escape from him spiny hedgehogs. Raccoons, which often hide from danger in trees, do not escape from the leopard in this way - the leopard itself, like the lynx, climbs well into the tree crown.
In general, all panthers, and Amur ones especially, are born tacticians! Having discovered the victim, they manage to approach it at a distance of up to 5-10 meters! The spotted predator does all this so quietly that prey with acute hearing cannot sense the approach of danger. He sneaks, taking advantage of all the advantages of the terrain. Then the leopard overtakes its unsuspecting prey in one or two lunges. But this doesn't always happen. Very often he has to catch up with fast hares or deer. Adult Far Eastern panthers are capable of running at a speed of 50-60 km/h.

It does not immediately eat large animals. An average-sized roe deer lasts him 4 days or even a week or more. He protects the carcass of killed prey from other predators and even birds. Sometimes he can drag her up a tree - the cat has great strength for your weight.

Reproduction

These inhabitants of taiga forests prefer a solitary lifestyle. Only during the mating season do males come together with females. Mating season falls, as a rule, in the month of January. Pregnancy in females lasts 3 months. Future mother is looking for a lair, it can be a cave, a depression in the ground or a crevice between stones.

Babies are born in the spring, there are 2-3 cubs in a litter, they have no vision, but their skin is already spotted. Young leopards do not leave their mother for 2 years. At 3 years of age they begin puberty. In the wild, the lifespan of the leopards in question is 12-15 years. In captivity, these unique cats live longer - up to 20 years.

Protection, preservation of the species

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the leopard was still common in Primorye, but then the population decreased significantly, and since 1956 hunting for it was prohibited. Currently, over the past 5 years, the number of individuals in nature has increased 1.5 times from 30 to 50. Far Eastern leopards also live in zoos, where they breed. Today in the zoos of our country, North America and Europe, there are 300 individuals of Amur leopards, most of which are hybrids with other subspecies. Good results in breeding these animals have been achieved at the Tallinn Zoo in Estonia.

Experts from a number of countries are developing a program for the exchange of Far Eastern leopards between zoos. This should give positive results at the genetic level and prevent the degeneration of the subspecies. There are grandiose plans to resettle Ussuri leopards into the wild in the future.

In Primorye, the leopard is protected in the Ussuriysky and Kedrovaya Pad nature reserves and in the Barsovy and Borisov Plateau nature reserves.

Item the world around us, topic - animals listed in the Red Book of Russia, grades 3-4.

We offer you a selection of materials for self-study messages or short story on the surrounding 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).
Phylum: chordates (Chordata).
Class: mammals (Mammalia).
Order: carnivores (Carnivora).
Family: felines (Felidae).
Genus: panthers (Panthera).
Species: leopard (Panthera pardus).
Subspecies: Central Asian (ciscaucasicus), Far Eastern (orientalis).

Far Eastern leopard, or Amur leopard - carnivorous mammal from the cat family, one of the subspecies of 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 of the Far East, in the border area three countries- Russia, China and North Korea.

Leopards are in serious danger. Listed in the Red Book of Russia and has the first protective status. This means that this type became endangered from the wild, its numbers dropped to a critical level, and its range was 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 leopard - the Central Asian (Panthera pardus ciscaucasicus) and the Far Eastern (Panthera pardus orientalis). Both are endangered. In the twentieth century, when the process of mass economic development of the Far East and Siberia began, the area of natural habitats suitable for many animals sharply decreased. The leopard was no exception. Over the past 20 years alone, the range of this animal has almost halved. According to Russian branch WWF, today about 30 individuals live in Primorye.

Two-month-old baby leopard looks like an ordinary 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 ancient broad-leaved forests -favorite place habitat of the Far Eastern leopard.

In Southern Primorye, a leopard stays 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 eats various types ungulates, hares, pheasants, sometimes attacks young white-breasted bears. Among him natural enemies come first Amur tigers and gray wolves.

The leopard's life zone is forested, highly dissected mountainous areas with narrow watershed ridges and steep slopes, ridges with rocky outcrops up to altitudes of 300-500 m above sea level. The leopard does not climb high into the mountains, especially in winter. Its presence even at altitudes of 650-700 m is not entirely usual. Unsystematic felling of coniferous trees, as well as mature oak and ash, accompanied by the construction of new roads and facilitating access to the most remote and best lands, is causing a steady reduction in places suitable for the habitat of the Far Eastern leopard.

The list of diet types for the Far Eastern leopard includes 25 items, but the stability and well-being of the population is determined by two species: roe deer and sika deer. A number of species, such as the badger, raccoon dog And Manchurian hare are of minor importance in the leopard’s diet, but during years of decline in roe deer and sika deer populations caused by snowy winters, they can play a key role in its survival.

Lifestyle and biology

The leopard remains a typical cat that walks on its own. He prefers to hunt at night and always alone. The area of an individual plot can reach 400 km2, but if bioresources are limited, it can be significantly less. The leopard always hunts from ambush, often hiding in the crown 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 approximately 2.5 years after birth. In nutrition, this predator gives preference to ungulates. But he will not refuse foxes, wolves, various rodents and even reptiles. Leopards can also eat domestic animals, mainly dogs and sheep. In the wild, animals live for about 10–12 years, and in captivity they can reach 21 years of age.

This is interesting

In earlier times, it was believed that the leopard was a hybrid of a lion and a panther, and the name of the animal came from two words: leon - “lion” and pardos - “panther”. However, this is not true. After all, a leopard and a panther are representatives of the same species. But hybrids of leopards and other cats are a reality. By the way, the black panther and the spotted leopard are the same animal. The panther is simply a melanistic leopard that is found only in Southeast Asia.

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

How to find out

This representative of the big cat subfamily is truly impressive in 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 ranges from 60 to 80 kg.

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

And of course, the leopard’s “fur coat” looks simply amazing! Rich shades yellow- from straw-gray to reddish-brown, - in which the thick fur is colored, and the natural grace of the panther leaves an unforgettable impression.

Number of East Siberian leopards in our country is extremely low. In the 80s XX century In the Far East, there were only 20-25 permanently resident 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. It is the rarest of the leopard subspecies, with 57 individuals remaining in the wild in Land of the Leopard National Park as of February 2015, and between 8 and 12 in China.

The decrease in the number of animals and the reduction in their 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. Intensive economic development of its habitat plays a negative role. 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. Especially for the protection of the leopard, the Barsovy reserve of republican significance was created in 1979, but on its territory there are 2 active military training grounds and intensive economic activity. In 1996, a reserve of regional significance, the Borisov Plateau, was organized, partially covering the peripheral part of the leopard’s habitat and playing a very relative role in the conservation of the species.

The priority steps to save the Far Eastern leopard should include the organization of effective protection of the reserve, reserves and hunting grounds located in the leopard’s habitat, the prohibition of the use of traps, and hunting of ungulates with packs of dogs in the leopard’s habitat.

Improving the network and increasing the efficiency of specially protected natural areas should be considered as the most reliable method of protecting the Far Eastern leopard. It is kept and reproduces well in captivity, however, there are only about 10 purebred individuals of the Far Eastern subspecies; breeding work must be carried out.

The Far Eastern leopard is also called the Amur, Manchurian or Korean leopard, as well as the Amur leopard.

These large spotted predators have chosen the mountain taiga regions and wooded areas of Northeast China, Korea, and the Far East.

The Far Eastern leopard is the rarest subspecies of the cat family. Today, only 35 individuals of these unique big cats live in the wild. Some experts claim that the number is even smaller - 20-25 individuals, while others even claim that the population has completely disappeared in the taiga forests.

How to recognize the Amur leopard

The average body length of Amur leopards is 105-135 centimeters. At the withers they reach 65-75 centimeters. Far Eastern leopards have a long tail measuring about 80-90 centimeters.

The predator has thick, soft and long fur. In summer, the length of the fur is 2.5 centimeters, and in winter the fur becomes much longer - 7.5 centimeters. The fur on the back is shorter than on the belly.

The Amur leopard is a real predator.

The main color of the skin is pale yellow, but the chest, belly and tips of the paws are lighter than the rest of the body. The skin is decorated with black spots. On the back and sides, the spots are closely adjacent to each other, and between them there are spaces of a yellowish-red color.

The coloring of Amur leopards is much lighter than that of African and Indian leopards. A distinctive feature of Far Eastern leopards is their blue-green eyes.

Lifestyle, diet and number of Amur leopards

At one time, the Amur leopard had a difficult time in the places where they lived. But, today, these problems are considered so insignificant in comparison with those that man himself created. The main reason for the extermination of the population of these unique predators is poaching.

The Far Eastern leopard is an endangered animal.

Far Eastern leopards are hunted not only by the local population, but also by wealthy Russians from Vladivostok. Chinese citizens who cross the border with Russia illegally also contribute.

Since 2002, 9 Far Eastern leopards have been shot in our country and 2 in China. Mass poaching is curbed by harsh laws. In this matter, the strictest policy is being pursued in China, where the death penalty is imposed for killing an Far Eastern leopard. In our country, the laws are more loyal - poachers receive 2 years in prison and a fine of 500 thousand rubles.

Deforestation, which is the main habitat of this predator, is also leading to a decline in the population of the Far Eastern leopard. Local residents often set fire to the forest, thereby stimulating the growth of fern, which is one of the popular ingredients in Chinese and Far Eastern Russian cuisine. The sale of ferns brings in large profits, and the population of the unique animal is declining. The numbers of these animals are declining alarmingly.

Amur leopards feed mainly on sika deer, roe deer, and. The current situation leads to the fact that big cats are forced to change their usual habitat because they cannot provide themselves with the necessary amount of food. As a result, Far Eastern leopards often die from hunger and bullets from hunters.

Listen to the voice of the Far Eastern leopard

But if in China and the Far East you can rarely find this predator, then in North Korea the situation is much sadder, people there have already destroyed almost all the animals. The Korean leopard has not been seen in these lands for more than 40 years.

Reproduction of the Far Eastern leopard

These inhabitants of taiga forests prefer a solitary lifestyle. Only during the mating season do males come together with females. The mating season usually falls in January. Pregnancy in females lasts 3 months. The expectant mother is looking for a den, which can be a cave, a hole in the ground or a crevice between stones.

Babies are born in the spring, there are 2-3 cubs in a litter, they have no vision, but their skin is already spotted. Young leopards do not leave their mother for 2 years. At 3 years they reach puberty. In the wild, the life expectancy of Far Eastern leopards is 12-15 years. In captivity, these unique cats live longer - up to 20 years.

Protection and measures to increase the number of Amur leopards

The Amur leopard is a victim of poachers.

The outlook for the population in the wild is very dismal. Far Eastern leopards live in zoos, where they breed. Today, 300 Amur leopards live in zoos in our country, North America and Europe. Good results in breeding these animals have been achieved at the Tallinn Zoo in Estonia.