LEOPARD OR PANTHER

                      

                      STATUS

IUCN                   :   LC* 

ZSI/CAMP          :   Vulnerable, C2a 

CITES                 :   Appendices - I 

Schedule           :   I (Part I) 

Population        :   Over 1,000 

Activity              :   Nocturnal

 Social Group    :   Solitary

👉Local name     :       Dipado, Dipada, Tendua, vagh

                                        (in dangs) 

👉Physical measurements & Cycle  :👇

Length                   :  150 - 220 cms. 

Weight                  :  male - 50-70 kg, Female - 30-50kg

Height                  :  50 - 75 cm

Maturity             :   male - 3 years, female - 2-3 years

Gestation            :   3 month

Litter size          :  2, occasionally 3 or 4

Life span           :  12 - 15 years (in wild) 

Breeding          :   No definite breeding season. 

👉Description   :  It has a sleek, short-haired, fulvous or bright-fulvous coat marked with small close-set black rosettes (not dots like cheetah). Bigger than cheetah.

👉Food   :  All types of herbivores like deer, other ungulates, langur and hare, peacock, other bird, reptile, dog, goat, sheep and small cattle. 

 

👉Distribution  :   Occurs in 17 districts of Gujarat. In India, it occurs in 28 states and Union Territories. 

👉Habitat  :   It is found in open to dense forests, hills and undulating terrain, mountains, rocky areas and ravines. 

 👉Behaviour  :  Nocturnal. Found in forest as well as country area, generally goes in search of the food from evening to morning. Sometime also in day times. Chital, monkey, goats and sheep, hare, birds, small mammals, and reptiles are main prey. Can be seen near human population near the forest area. Considered to be highly cunning. 

👉Signs of presence   :   Leopard can be identified by pugmarks. It can also be identified by presence of claw marks on tree trunk. The dog starts barking when the panther is in vicinity. 

👉Population  :    In Africa, leopard population may be about 5,00,000. In Asia, number declined to about 20,000 individuals, of this, about 12,000 to 14,000 are found in India. Population estimates in Gujarat are as follows :

Year    1990  1995  2001  2002  2005

Nos.    796     976   691    1,038  1,070

👉Black panther is not a distinct species. Blackness is due to the excessive presence of a substances called melanin which intensifies pigmentation. Black panthers are found in evergreen forests in Kerala, Karnataka and north-east states.As the panther/leopard commonly enters human settlements or their neighbouring areas, it has less fear of man. Due to this reason, man-eating leopard is more dangerous than the man-eating tiger. Normally, the leopard is a big enemy of village dogs. Tiger is the biggest enemy of the leopard. Moreover, the leopard has considerable risk from the lion in Gir. The Hyena and Dhole also can pose a risk for the panther. Among all cats in the world, the leopard has Maximum distribution range.