Amur Leopard
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The critically endangered Amur Leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis or Panthera pardus amurensis) is the rarest subspecies of leopard in the world with estimates of between 25 to 34 known individuals remaining in the wild.[1]
Common nameIts common name comes from the Amur River; other common names for this subspecies are "Far East Leopard" and the "Siberian Leopard". HabitatThis species was originally distributed throughout the Korean Peninsula, northeastern China, and southeastern Russia; the majority of its range overlapping with that of the Siberian Tiger. Today, it is extremely close to extinction with only 25 to 34 known individuals remaining in the Sikhote-Alin mountains of southern Russia (only six of these are female), while it is estimated that at least 100 are needed if the species is to avoid extinction.[2][3] A few individuals are thought to remain on the Kaema Plateau and Baekdusan of North Korea, but the status of the species here is unknown. Habitat destruction and the fur trade have diminished its numbers dramatically, and have resulted in the animal becoming the rarest extant member of the feline family on the planet. It has also been suggested that poachers interested in the Leopard's fur and meat helped bring about the Amur Leopard's downfall but there is no solid evidence to support this. BehaviorAlthough their range overlaps with that of the Siberian Tiger, the population of that feline is not as heavily affected as it is for leopards living near tigers in different regions. Amur Leopards tend to avoid living or hunting too close to tiger territory, to avoid direct competition for prey. Like all leopards, they are very skillful and opportunistic hunters. Their usual diet consists of roe and sika deer, hares, badgers and small rodents. They are solitary animals with primarily nocturnal habits, and live mainly in forested areas. PhysiologyThe Amur Leopard is differentiated from the ten other living subspecies of leopard by its longer fur, which is an adaptation for the cold, harsh conditions of the taiga. The fur of the Amur Leopard is golden orange and about 2.5 cm long during the summer. During the winter, the fur grows to around 7 cm, when it also lightens to a pale cream colour. Its coat has larger and more widely spaced rosettes than other leopards. ConservationWhile the Amur Leopard inhabits the same area as the Siberian Tiger, it has received far less attention from the media and from charities. The Amur leopard is the rarest of all the big cats, and is in immediate danger of becoming extinct in the wild. It is suffering from habitat loss and is especially vulnerable to natural disasters, such as fire, because of extensive habitat fragmentation. Amur Leopards prefer to live in forested territory, but most of its remaining territory is surrounded by farms and villages, making poaching easier. Russian plans to build an oil pipeline through the last remaining habitat of the Amur leopard were recently redirected to a safer route after pressure from the WWF and other environmental organizations. A Population Management Plan has been established for this subspecies of leopard. The PMP is a cooperative effort among zoos and other captive-animal facilities to monitor the status and plan breeding of the current captive population. On April 16, 2007 a female was shot and killed by hunters, leaving only six females left in the wild.[4][5] A 14 week old Amur leopard made her public debut at Marwell Zoo in Hampshire, England on 28 February 2008[6] MediaA female Amur Leopard and her cub were featured on Planet Earth's episodes From Pole to Pole and Seasonal Forests. References
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de:Amurleopard es:Panthera pardus orientalis fr:Panthère de Chine it:Panthera pardus orientalis he:נמר אמור nl:Amoerpanter ja:アムールヒョウ pl:Lampart amurski pt:Leopardo-de-amur ru:Дальневосточный леопард fi:Amurinleopardi sv:Amurleopard |
