The leopard is a representative of the cat family, which delights in its attractive, variegated color. These predators belong to the genus panther and are divided among themselves into subspecies. The largest representative of this species is considered to be the Asian leopard, which is currently under special attention of wildlife conservationists.
Appearance
Like most leopards, this subspecies has characteristic contrasting spots scattered throughout the body, on the back they have a larger diameter. The main color is grayish-buffy; by winter, these cats change color, becoming a paler color. The spots always remain in black and brown. The coat is quite soft and short regardless of the time of year. The Central Asian leopard has a slender, slightly oblong body. At the withers, it can grow up to 76 cm. The length of the cat’s body is on average 170, although there are individuals measuring just 126 cm or, on the contrary, reaching 183 cm. Females are usually smaller. The tail of the animal is slightly shorter than the body - from 94 to 116 cm. The ears of the predator are round, small in shape. The weight of a cat varies around 60 kilos.
Lifestyle
Basically, this predator lives in the same locality, not roaming from place to place. He can make small transitions after the prey. Usually, an Asian leopard settles in the habitats of ungulates. He also seeks to avoid snowy areas. Active life begins in the late afternoon and continues until the morning. If the weather is cool, a predator may appear during the day. The hunting style of this beast is “stalking”, occasionally it can chase after prey. These cats are not squeamish at all and eat their prey together with their intestines. They can also feed on the decomposed corpses of animals, and the remains are hidden in shrubs or other suitable shelters. Wild ungulates are part of the main diet. But the beast will not refuse even porcupine, fox, birds, hares, small predator or rodents. Livestock is practically not attacked, only at the extreme need in too snowy, protracted winters. The nature of the animal is quite careful. He tries to hide, but if he is wounded to protect himself, he can attack a person.
Where does the Asian leopard live? A photo of the animal shows that he is close to placers of stones and rocky terrain. Of course, for living this beast needs shelter, therefore it can be found more often in gorges, inside which rivulets flow. But also it is found in deciduous forests and can rest on trees.
Kittens
At three years old, the leopard is ready for breeding. Gon usually falls on December-January, and kittens appear around April. A female can bring up to 4 babies, but more often in a litter 2 or 3 cubs. For three months, the young feed on milk, then the mother begins to feed them with game. Kittens stay with the female for about a year and a half, after which they leave for “their bread”.
Species extinction
Unfortunately, the attractive color became a bait for poachers who hunted leopards with particular greed. Also, the reduction in the species is associated with the activity of the person who took away the territory of the animal from the animal, which reduced the number of ungulates that the leopard fed on. The third factor in the instant reduction of individuals is intentional extermination, since it has been ranked among animals that harm domestic livestock. In most Transcaucasian republics, the Near-Asian leopard was subject to extermination all year round, as was the wolf. As a result, according to modern estimates, there are only 870 - 1300 animals of this subspecies in the world. Most of these cats live in freedom in Iran, there are approximately 550 - 850 animals. They are also found in Afghanistan, but there will not be more than 300 individuals. He lives a little less in Turkmenistan, about a hundred. In Armenia and Azerbaijan, there are only ten of these spotted. In Georgia, Turkey and Nagorno-Karabakh , 3 to 5 individuals each.
Today, all actions that lead to the extermination of the spotted predator are prohibited not only in Russia, but also in all its habitats. Authorities seek to restore the population of the animal, which is already listed in the Red Book. It is planned that in 15 years the animal population will be restored on the territory of Russia, and the Asian leopard will be saved this way. To accomplish this, in the Krasnodar Territory, two males, captured free in Turkmenistan and two females, arrived from Iran, were settled in a national park. Almost all hopes are assigned to the offspring of these pairs. It is planned to restore the population of this animal in the Caucasus, because until the 20th century this species of leopard lived in all mountainous areas of this region.
On coins
Russian Sberbank minted seven new coins from the series “Save Our World”. The money collection with the image of rare animals of the country this time replenished with the Asian leopard. The coin of this series was shown to the world in 2011. In total, seven “leopards” of various denominations were minted, three of them made of silver and four of gold.
Coin Description
On the obverse of each denomination there is a traditional image of a double-headed eagle, whose wings “look” down, under it is the inscription “Bank of Russia”. Around the frame of the dots, the face value of the coin, the sample with the metal designation, the year of minting and the mint mark are recorded . The reverse shows a leopard in various poses and actions. The background is framed by the outlines of nature. From the bottom, each coin “East Asian Leopard” - 11 has the inscription “Save our world” along the edging.