| Body: | 0.9 – 1.9 m |
| Tail: | 0.6 – 1.1 m |
| Weight: | 37 – 90kg (male), 28 – 60kg (female) |
Leopard
Phanthera pardus
Description:
Leopards have an elongated body set on relatively short and stocky legs, broad paws and short rounded ears. There is a considerable difference in size between the male and female leopard, males being larger. Leopards can live to around 21 to 23 years in captivity, with estimates of about 7 to 9 years in the wild. They are listed as ‘near threatened’ on the IUCN Red List; however, in some areas they are endangered or even critically endangered.
Did you know...?
…that panthers are actually leopards with a genetic peculiarity called “melanism” (the opposite of albinism) responsible for their all black color? Because only one single recessive gene creates this peculiarity, panthers are rather rare.
