The earliest known leopard fossils excavated in Europe are estimated 600,000 years old, dating to the late Early Pleistocene. It can run at speeds of up to 58 km/h (36 mph 16 m/s). The leopard is distinguished by its well-camouflaged fur, opportunistic hunting behaviour, broad diet, strength, and its ability to adapt to a variety of habitats ranging from rainforest to steppe, including arid and montane areas. Both leopards and jaguars that are melanistic are known as black panthers. It is similar in appearance to the jaguar ( Panthera onca), but has a smaller, lighter physique, and its rosettes are generally smaller, more densely packed and without central spots. Ĭompared to other wild cats, the leopard has relatively short legs and a long body with a large skull. Ĭontemporary records suggest that the leopard occurs in only 25% of its historical global range. The leopard is considered locally extinct in Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, Jordan, Morocco, Togo, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Kuwait, Syria, Libya, Tunisia and most likely in North Korea, Gambia, Laos, Lesotho, Tajikistan, Vietnam and Israel. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because leopard populations are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, and are declining in large parts of the global range.
It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, and on the Indian subcontinent to Southeast and East Asia. The leopard ( Panthera pardus) is one of the five extant species in the genus Panthera, a member of the cat family, Felidae.
Present and historical distribution of the leopard
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