Far Eastern leopard. Far Eastern leopard (Amur leopard) How many leopards are left on earth

The Far Eastern leopard, also known as the Amur, East Siberian, Manchurian leopard or leopard, is a fairly large mammal belonging to the cat family and to the class of predators.

Today, the animal is on the verge of extinction and has an extremely limited habitat, and most of it is located in the Russian Federation.

Description

This animal is the rarest subspecies of the panther family. In Latin, its name sounds like Panthera pardus orientalis- this is how the beast is called in international determinants.

The animal is different enough big size(body up to 136 cm in length, and weight up to 50 kg) and leads a secretive, twilight lifestyle. Every year, the habitat of this magnificent predator is reduced, which is associated with the expansion of human possessions: the construction of highways, logging and hunting for potential animal food.

Since the 20th century, the animal has been protected by the World Conservation Fund and is listed in the International and Russian Red Book.

Given the love of wealthy citizens for exotic pets, this mammal is listed I CITES, which makes it possible to prevent its capture from the habitat and the maintenance of this representative of the fauna in private nurseries.

Far Eastern leopards are predators leading a nocturnal or twilight lifestyle. He is not whimsical in food, and almost all representatives of the fauna of Southern Primorye are included in his diet. An exception are large predators, which compete with the leopard for hunting grounds. However, these animals do not pose a significant danger to the life of this species, since cases of interspecific fights are the exception rather than the rule.

Less than 50 years ago, the leopard was found in the southern regions of the Usuri region, in the Northeast of China and on the Korean Peninsula. But due to active human settlement and deforestation, the population of this predator has significantly decreased and the habitat was divided into 3 isolated areas - 3 populations kind.

Today, the situation has only worsened, since these impressive predators can only be found in an isolated area of ​​​​10 - 15 thousand km2, located on the border Russian Federation, China and North Korea. In Russia, the wild animal is the most common, and the number of individuals is 40 - 50 animals. This is the highest figure, because 8-11 animals are supposed to live in China.

This information is often questionable, since it is highly likely that these feline representatives simply wandered into the lands of the PRC from the Russian Primorye in search of prey. On the territory of the Korean Peninsula, wild cats have not been observed for a long time. Although the hedgehog in the twentieth century, it was argued that about 40 individuals of this species successfully live within the reservation located near Paektusan.

However, studies by zoologists conducted in the 90s of the last century could not prove this statement, since no reliable traces of this animal were found.

This representative of the cat family rightfully belongs to one of the most beautiful inhabitants of our planet. After all, this animal is the owner of luxurious wool, with an incredible pattern. The beast has a slender, flexible silhouette, which is complemented long tail. The body of the animal is slightly elongated and complemented by a rounded head. The leopard is silent, due to the presence of slender and powerful paws.

The sizes of males and females have some differences. So, the representatives of the stronger sex are larger: the length of the body is up to 136 cm, and the tail is up to 90 cm. The females are slightly smaller. The length of their body is up to 112 cm, and the tail is up to 73 cm. The mass of the Far Eastern leopard is a moot point. According to various sources, their weight can be up to 53 - 60 kg.

This parameter is determined by the traces found, the depth and size of which indicate the estimated parameters of the past animal. The height of the animal at the withers is 64 - 78 cm. The length of the hind foot reaches 24 - 27 cm. The wool of animals is striking in its beauty. In a physically healthy representative of this species, it is smooth and shiny. IN summer period, the length of the wool cover is up to 2.5 cm.

With the onset of cold weather, the Far Eastern leopard warms up. The density of its coat increases, and the length of the cover is already 5 - 7 cm. Sexual dimorphism is manifested only in the size of individuals, while the coloration in representatives of this species does not differ in males and females.

The color of the animal may vary. In the cold season, shades from pale yellow to rusty tones with golden flecks prevail. With warming, the color becomes brighter and more saturated. Against this background, black rings or spots are visualized.

Far Eastern leopards impress with yellow eyes with oval-shaped pupils arranged vertically. With the onset of night, a standard reaction is observed, accompanied by dilated pupils. This is due to the need to perceive less concentrated light sources and see in the dark. The claws of the animal have a light shade, reminiscent of the color of wax, with whitish tips.

These murder weapons are impressive in size: up to 55 mm. However, it shows them only if necessary; at rest, the claws are hidden between the pads on the paws. This ensures noiseless movement, and keeps the weapon of the beast sharp.

This feline is not comfortable in every landscape. The first factor that matters is privacy, lack of road noise and the almost complete exclusion of a person. Also wild predator demanding to have enough food. Therefore, the minimum population of roe deer in his holdings should be at least 10-11 individuals per 1000 m2.

This feline prefers mixed forests of the Manchurian type. These are predominantly coniferous and broad-leaved trees growing in rough terrain. Also, the wild animal prefers lands with the presence of rocky ledges, slopes, various reservoirs, rivers - places where you can hide and easily hide from the threat.

This feline representative is a predator leading a solitary lifestyle. One adult individual has hunting grounds, which are 239 - 509 km2. Usually such massive possessions belong to males, while females have much smaller possessions - up to 128 km2. A wild animal can coexist with representatives of the opposite sex, rigidly guarding the center of its land from fellows of the same sex.

This feline representative protects his possessions only from capture attempts. So, a male may attack another male if he tries to mark his territory. Young members of the same sex are allowed to cross the possessions of the dominant male and even hunt them.

Scientists note the presence of hunting trails, which are used by several leopards at once. He leads the twilight or night image life, leaving their shelter about 2 hours before sunset and returning to it by the middle of the night. But several cases of daytime leopard hunting have been recorded. This is more the exception than the rule. Animals usually form dens on a permanent basis. They do not leave their shelters throughout their lives or several years.

Nutrition

Leopards are not too bitter in food, because the population of potential victims is rapidly decreasing, so the animal does not disdain small prey. The basis of the diet of a predator consists of such representatives of the fauna:

1. Roe deer.
2. Noble deer.
3. Seals.
4. or piglets.
5. Red deer calves.

In the absence of the main objects of hunting, the animal easily switches to badgers, hares, raccoon dogs, pheasants and hazel grouses. Also, scientists have recorded cases of leopard attacks on small elks, cubs or wounded bears. They do not disdain carrion. After all, the hunger strike adult can last no more than 14 days. Plants are also included in the animal's diet.

This information was obtained by examining feces, in which traces of representatives of the flora were found. Usually the animal eats grass to cleanse the gastrointestinal tract, and not as a necessary addition to the diet.

Achieving puberty in this feline occurs at 24 - 36 months - not earlier. And the opportunity for conception in females occurs only once every 3 years, which is extremely small for representatives of the animal world.

Attention!

The Far Eastern leopard is on the verge of extinction due to extremely slow reproduction, because pregnancy occurs only in 80% of cases, and the number of grown cubs in a female usually consists of 1 - 2 kittens. In comparison, other felines usually have 3-6 kittens. In addition, the number of mature individuals ready for reproduction is extremely small.

These wild animals are polygamous. Pairs of Far Eastern leopards form only for the period of mating, coinciding with estrus in females: the end of autumn - the beginning of winter. It is during the rut for animals that it is easier to find, since males actively make themselves felt with a loud roar and roar, which often leads to fights for the right to possess a representative of the opposite sex.

Spotted cats for mating and mating chooses January. Males prefer females with an already adult brood, kittens from which are ready to start an independent life. Therefore, mating occurs after the expulsion of the previous offspring or right at it. After mating is completed, the female equips the den. For this, the animal chooses rock crevices, caves.

Pregnancy of the female lasts an average of 90 - 105 days, after which kittens are born. Normally, a litter consists of 1 to 4 kittens. However, the percentage of early mortality is high, so by the time she leaves the den (2–3 months after birth), the female has 1–2 cubs.

A formidable predator is born weighing only 400 - 600 g. Kittens are initially blind and begin to see only 7-9 days after birth. From 12 to 15 days they actively crawl, and from 35 days they walk. The lactation period for the female is 3-6 months, after which the kittens are transferred to meat. Starting from 2 to 3 months after birth, the mother regurgitates semi-digested food to make it easier for babies to eat it.

But then the young leopard is transferred to raw meat. From 8 months, learning the basics of hunting and searching for prey begins. Already by 10 - 11 months, kittens are ready for independent hunting trips. Kittens usually stay with their mother until 13 - 14 months, after which they begin an independent, solitary life.

The leopard is included in the general biological classification. This species is on the verge of extinction., therefore, in addition to standardizing it according to certain characteristics, scientists regularly monitor the dynamics of an increase or decrease in an animal population.

The place of the Far Eastern leopard in the general taxonomy looks like this:

1. Eukaryote.
2. Animal.
3. chordate.
4. Mammal.
5. Predator.
6. Feline.
7. Panther.
8. Leopard.
9. Far Eastern leopard.

The scientists also systematized observations of the dynamics of the development of the animal population. So, from 2007-2013, an increase in the number of predator individuals was recorded from 33-36 to 34-50. Which is already a success. However, the positive dynamics does not indicate the disappearance of the threat of extinction.

Meaning

Predators are the orderlies of the forest. After all, the beast not only hunts, but also helps to eliminate carrion from the landscape, which helps to reduce the spread various diseases and dangerous infections among forest dwellers.

The status of this animal: on the verge of extinction. Therefore, people are doing everything possible to preserve its population. After all, each representative of the fauna plays a role. So, wild cat regulates the population of herbivores, which contributes to the development forest areas. Indeed, in the absence of predators, roe deer and deer would easily destroy all plantations, moving to gardens and fields of national importance. Which would lead to food shortages.

Enemies

the wild beast is tolerant of competing predators. However, encounters with some animals may end in a fight. Potentially dangerous animals include:

• Domestic dogs.
• Wolves.
• Tigers.

Domestic dogs are the most dangerous for this predator. After all, the spotted beast most often becomes a victim of their attacks. Meetings with a starving pack of wolves can also end sadly. Fights with tigers and bears are extremely rare.

The leopard is listed in the International and Russian Red Book. He was assigned the first category, which indicates the extreme vulnerability of the species and its extinction. International and Russian programs have been developed to protect and restore the animal population. Scientists and the government have strictly banned the hunting of this animal, as well as its capture or sale to private nurseries.

The territory where the spotted beauty lives is protected by law, so any agricultural activity, as well as deforestation, is strictly prohibited on it. Due to the spread of poaching, the government has tightened the punishment for 1 killed Amur leopard. So, if the culprit is a single hunter, he faces a fine and up to 3 years in prison.

If a group of people hunted, then the term of imprisonment is increased to 7 years, and the fine - up to 2 million.

1. The wild animal is one of the most secretive animals.
2. To monitor him, scientists use hidden cameras that turn on when motion sensors are triggered.
3. This is due to the fact that the beast usually notices people located in the shadows and simply bypasses them.
4. An additional factor for research are the traces of the animal. Of these, scientists make casts, which are studied in detail in the laboratory.
5. By their depth and size, zoologists can calculate the approximate size, weight and age of the individual.
6. Another interesting fact is the originality of the drawing.
7. Each wild animal has an individual location and number of spots.
8. There are no two identical individuals in the world.
9. It is by drawing that scientists distinguish animals whose images were obtained from hidden cameras.

Is the most intelligent marine inhabitants. They can talk to each other, hunt well in a group, and have excellent tactics.

Leopard- one of the representatives of large cats. In total, there are 9 subspecies, these include both black and white leopards. Several species, like the Zanzibar (has been seen last time in 1980) and European (lived on our planet more than 10,000 years ago) are considered officially extinct. But today we're going to talk about Far Eastern leopard, about where he lives, how he looks, what he eats.

Description of the Far Eastern leopard

body length Far Eastern (Amur, East Siberian) leopard 107-136 cm with a body weight of 32-48 kg (in rare cases, the weight reaches 75 kg), and the tail grows in length 82-90 cm, shoulder height up to 78 cm. The leopard's skull is compressed quite strongly in the interorbital region. And the life expectancy of such a predator is an average of 20 years.

Leopard fur is 30-50 mm long on the back and up to 70 mm on the belly. In summer, the color is darker (varies from golden to cream), while in winter it is clarified on the sides, the belly and limbs are white. And, of course, there are peculiar black spots all over the body, which is typical for all leopards.

HABITAT, INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT FAR EASTERN LEOPARDS

Habitat of the Far Eastern leopard

Such cats live in a small area of ​​the territory of three states - China, North Korea and Russia. According to 2014 data, there are about 50-60 leopards, although a century ago they occupied the entire Korean Peninsula, Primorye and even areas in northern China, and now they are one of the rare individuals. Of course, active measures are being taken to preserve the Far Eastern leopards.

These predators choose their homes in the subtropical, tropical steppes, savannahs, deserts, to the borders of various settlements. But the most basic thing for snow leopards is shelter and a sufficient number of animals that you can profit from.

What does a leopard eat

As you know, the leopard is a predator, therefore it feeds on animals. And since these creatures live almost alone, hunting is much more difficult for ungulates. Leopard in the forests and mountains eats roe deer, deer, elk, mountain goats, wild boars, mouflons, tars, cabergs, jeinars. In the deserts eats antelopes, giraffes (their babies), camels (calves), zebras, impalas. But the predator is not limited to large animals, the diet also includes small game - hares, porcupines, foxes, badgers, martens, mice, other rodents, monkeys. As well as birds like pheasant, snowcock, keklik, black grouse, and reptiles like lizards and snakes, including insects.

Of course, from hunger leopard can attack another predator, cubs, and eat crabs and fish. Well, leopards living close to people hunt livestock - goats, sheep, horses, cows, pigs, donkeys, poultry, including, can easily attack a person. He needs about 20 kg of meat per day, and he eats his large prey in 3-4 days, and after that he goes hunting again. Leopards they drink a lot of water, so they try to be close to water bodies, although they drink at night. And they eat grass when it is necessary to cleanse the intestines, but this is done by many animals.

Interesting facts about the Far Eastern leopard

Female leopards keep babies with them for a long time, especially males, in order to give birth less

· Males do not touch mothers who are busy raising cubs

The tail of a leopard reaches a length of 110 cm

The Far Eastern leopard is called the Manchurian and Korean leopard

· Far Eastern leopard not the most large view among their own kind

Difference from other individuals in softer and longer fur

Leopard fur is lighter in winter than in summer

The peak distribution of the Far Eastern leopard falls on the 20th century

VIDEO: DELNEVOSTOCHNY LEOPARD

IN THIS VIDEO YOU CAN LEARN A LOT OF INTERESTING ABOUT THE FAR EASTERN LEOPARD IN THE DOCUMENTARY

The most rare cat world, the number of which in nature is about 70 individuals.

Systematics

The Russian name of the subspecies is Amur or Korean leopard, Far Eastern leopard, East Siberian leopard
Latin name - Panthera pardus orientalis
English title- Amur leopard, panthera
Squad - predatory (Carnivora)
Family - cats (Felidae)
Genus - Pantera
Species - leopard (Panthera pardus), within which there are 6 living subspecies.

The status of the species in nature

It is listed in the Red Books of the IUCN and Russia as a subspecies under the threat of complete extinction - CITES I, IUCN (CR).

View and person

From time immemorial, man hunted the leopard, and the prey of such an animal was considered valor. But times are changing, there are more and more people, and there are fewer predatory animals. In addition to hunting predators themselves, people also hunt their potential prey - ungulates, successfully competing with animals. Currently, the leopard is protected by law, however, a decrease in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bpristine economic activity lands and a decrease in the number of ungulates is forcing animals to make ever longer journeys in search of food. Sometimes they are overtaken by a poacher's bullet, and sometimes they simply cannot meet a partner for procreation.

The Far Eastern leopard is the rarest and most northern of the leopard subspecies. At present, this beast is being actively studied not only by the tried and tested methods of naturalists: trailing in the footsteps, the study of the remains of life, but also with the help of modern ones. Scientists tag these animals with radio collars, install camera traps, and, due to the fact that the pattern of spots on the skin of each animal is individual, portraits of almost all Far Eastern leopards have been made. As of February 2015 in wild nature 56 individuals survived in Russia and from 8 to 12 individuals in China.
Various international environmental organizations also play an active role in the study and conservation of these wonderful animals. Recently, the National Park "Land of the Leopard" was created, which united the Kedrovaya Pad Reserve, the Leopard Wildlife Sanctuary and the surrounding areas. In the past few years, thanks to the efforts made, the number of Amur leopards in nature has begun to increase.

Total information

Range and habitats

As early as the beginning of the 20th century, the range of the Amur leopard captured East and Northeast China, the Korean Peninsula, the Amur and Ussuri Territories. To date, this animal has survived only in Southern Primorye and, possibly, several individuals live in China.

Like most large predators, this animal is not associated with any one type of habitat. Its presence can be noted on forested slopes and ridges of mountain spurs with rocks and placers. It also keeps on low mountains with broad-leaved forests of the Manchurian type, where there is not much snow in winter.

Appearance and morphology

This remarkably beautiful cat has a flexible, slender and at the same time elongated body, a rounded head, a long tail, slender, very strong legs. According to the measurements of 6 males, the body length of the Far Eastern leopard is 107–136 cm, the tail is 82–90 cm, the height at the shoulders is 64–78 cm. The body weight of females is up to 42.5 kg, males - up to 50 kg.

The color of the main background of winter fur is brilliant, from light cream to more intense yellowish-red with a golden hue; lighter on the sides and outer side of the limbs; on the belly and the inside of the limbs - white. The spotted pattern consists of intensely black solid or annular spots. On the belly and limbs the spots are solid. Summer fur with more saturated colors. The length of the fur on the back is up to 30-50 mm, on the belly up to 70 mm.

The rarest cat in the world - the number in nature is no more than 25 individuals

The rarest cat in the world - the number in nature is no more than 25 individuals

The rarest cat in the world - the number in nature is no more than 25 individuals

The rarest cat in the world - the number in nature is no more than 25 individuals

The rarest cat in the world - the number in nature is no more than 25 individuals

The rarest cat in the world - the number in nature is no more than 25 individuals

Activity and social organization

Leads mainly a twilight lifestyle. It usually goes hunting an hour or two before sunset and hunts the first half of the night, although it sometimes pursues prey during the day, especially on cloudy cold days and in winter. It also appears at the watering hole at dusk.

Like other large cats, the leopard does not like to share territory with other individuals of its species, however, the habitats of the male and females may overlap. The female with kittens has a small habitat area, approximately 4–5 hectares, the male leads a more nomadic lifestyle.

Feeding and feeding behavior

The diet of the leopard mainly consists of ungulates: roe deer, young wild boar, spotted deer and red deer calves. In addition, it eats hares, badgers, raccoon dogs, pheasants, hazel grouses and various insects. On average, one roe deer can last a leopard for 10 days of a well-fed life.

The leopard hunts for roe deer by stealing them while feeding or on the haul. The victim is overtaken by a short jerk, sometimes ending with a powerful 5-6 meter jump, knocks to the ground, biting the cervical vertebrae. If the victim is not overtaken at a short distance, the leopard stops the pursuit. In familiar territory, the beast has favorite hunting grounds. Near the prey, the leopard lingers for 1–3 days. In an effort to protect prey, he drags it under the crowns of trees and on trees, under creases and rocks.

Reproduction and development

The rut of the Far Eastern leopard falls on winter months(December - January). After 3 months, from 1 to 5 cubs appear in the den, which the female arranges in placers of stones, in caves and under overhanging rocks, usually there are 2–3 of them. Kittens are born blind, covered with a thick, rather long hairline. The skin is dotted with small dark brown and black spots that do not form rosettes. The weight of a newborn is 500–700 g, the body length is about 15 cm. They begin to see clearly on the 7–9th day. On the 12-15th day, the kittens begin to crawl around the nest, and by two months they leave the den. At this time, the female regurgitates half-digested meat to them, then they begin to eat the prey brought by the mother.

The female feeds the kittens alone. Young animals stay with their mother until her next estrus, and, left by the female, do not part with each other until the end of winter. They stay close for a while, and then they can go long distances. Apparently, mortality among young and 1-2 year old leopards is very high, but kittens can be born annually.

Lifespan

In captivity, some animals lived up to 21 years, in nature, life expectancy is much less.

Keeping animals in the Moscow Zoo

Several Far Eastern leopards now live in the Moscow Zoo. One of them, named Mizer, can be seen at the exposition, the rest live in a zoo breeding rare species and successfully breed there. A young handsome male, which can be seen at the exposition in the "Cat's Row" in the Old Territory of the Zoo, was also born in the zoo. He is not at all afraid of people, you can see him all day long, but he, like other cats, is far from always active.

Currently, there are more Far Eastern leopards in zoos than in the wild. Unfortunately, many of them are already old. In captivity, it is very difficult to get offspring from leopards: partners often do not like each other, and in order to play a new wedding, you need to bring an animal from another zoo. Leopards are serious animals, and transporting them is not an easy task. Therefore, we are very proud that we have managed to create conditions in which the animals feel comfortable and give birth regularly. All leopards kept in captivity are listed in the International Stud Book.
Leopards are fed with the meat of various animals, mainly beef. Periodically give vitamin and mineral supplements and sprouted greens of cereals.

FAR EASTERN LEOPARD

Far Eastern leopard, or amur leopard, obsolete name Manchurian leopard (lat. Panthera pardus orientalis) - predatory mammal from the cat family, one of the subspecies of the leopard. The body length is 107-136 cm. The weight of males is up to 50 kg, females - up to 42.5 kg. Distributed in the area of ​​mountain coniferous-deciduous and oak forests Far East, near the border of three countries - Russia, China and North Korea. Currently, the Far Eastern leopard is on the verge of extinction. This is the rarest of the leopard subspecies: as of February 2015, 57 individuals remained in the wild in the territory. national park“Land of the Leopard” and from 8 to 12 in China. In the 20th century, the species was included in the IUCN Red Book, the Red Book of Russia, the Red Book of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Appendix I to the Convention on International Trade in Species of Wild Fauna and Flora under threatened with extinction (CITES), as well as a number of other titles of protection. Hunting for a leopard has been banned since 1956. Other wild animals, scavengers and predators, do not pose any particular danger or strong food competition for the leopard. From domestic animals, dogs are dangerous for him, which are both hunters and food competitors of the leopard. A person harms the population of the Far Eastern leopard by poaching, the destruction of animals that the leopard feeds on, and the destruction of the territories in which he lives. In addition, leopards are threatened with the negative results of inbreeding, which occurs due to the small population of the subspecies.

Story

The Far Eastern leopard is mentioned in a 1637 treaty between Korea and China, according to which the Koreans were to send 100-142 leopard skins to China annually. For the first time, the Far Eastern leopard was described as independent species under the name Felis orientalis by the German naturalist and ornithologist Hermann Schlegel in 1857 based on a skin obtained in Korea. In 1961, the work of Ingrid Weigel (German: Ingrid Weigel) published the modern name of the taxon - Panthera pardus orientalis. One of the first information about the Far Eastern leopard is available in travel notes famous Russian traveler Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky and Mikhail Ivanovich Yankovsky. In the form of travel reports, information about the Far Eastern leopard was received in an unsystematized form until the 1960s. And only in 1972, all the information available at that time about this rare animal was summarized in a monograph by Vladimir Georgievich Geptner and Arkady Alexandrovich Sludsky. conducted by Dmitry Grigorievich Pikunov (1976), and then in 1986 by Viktor Grigorievich Korkishko. In 1992, following the results of these fundamental works, the monograph “The Leopard of the Far East” was published, which presents the most complete available modern data on the Far Eastern leopard. structures of a leopard habitat using collars with VHF transmitters.

Description

The Far Eastern leopard has a slender and very flexible body, muscular, elongated, somewhat laterally compressed. The tail is long, making up more than half of the entire body length. The legs are relatively short but strong. The front paws are powerful and wide. The nails are light, waxy in color, compressed from the sides, strongly curved, very sharp. On the front legs, their length along the outer arc reaches 55 mm. On the hind feet, the claws are smaller and not as sharp. There is no sexual dimorphism as such, and sexual differences are expressed only in smaller body sizes and a lighter structure of the skull of females. Male sizes: body length 107-136 cm, tail length 82-90 cm, hind foot length 24-27 cm, height at the shoulders 64-78 cm. Weight of medium-sized males - 32 kg, large males - 53 kg. Probably, males can reach 60 kg. The weight of females is 25-42.5 kg. In captivity, individual individuals lived up to 21 years, in nature life expectancy is much less - 10-15 years. The fur is soft, thick, relatively short (on the back 20-25 mm, in winter - 50 mm; on the belly 70 mm) and tightly fitting, not lush even in the cold season. In winter fur, the general color background varies from light yellow to rich yellowish-red with a golden hue or reddish-yellow. On the sides and on the outer side of the legs, the coloration is lighter. The color of the main background of the fur is paler and duller in winter than in summer. Numerous black spots are scattered over the general background, of two types: solid and in the form of ring figures - the so-called. "sockets". In the center of the latter there is a light field, more or less corresponding in color to the color of the main background of the fur. On the sides of the body, rosettes reach a size of up to 5 x 5 cm. There are no spots on the front of the muzzle, only small marks in the vibrissa area and a dark spot in the corner of the mouth. On the cheeks, on the forehead, between the eye and ear, on the top and sides of the neck there are mostly small solid black spots, slightly elongated on the upper side of the neck. Backside ears are black. Annular spots are located on the back and sides of the body of the animal, above the shoulder blades and on the thigh. Along the ridge, they usually have an elongated shape or else form a pattern of large elongated annular and solid spots. Solid dark spots on the skin are located on all parts of the body where there are no annular spots, and are also present in greater or lesser numbers along with annular ones. The limbs and abdomen are covered with continuous spots. The spots on the outer side of the legs are large at the top, and become smaller downwards, on the hands and feet they are only small specks. The tail above, partially and below is covered with large annular or solid spots. patronizing coloring animals. Due to the presence of spots, the visual impression of the contours of the animal's body is disturbed, due to which it becomes invisible or hardly noticeable against the background of the environment. The location of the spots is unique to each individual, similar to fingerprints in humans. This feature sometimes used by researchers to identify individuals in the wild that are being monitored. The main function of this coloration is the camouflage of a predator when hunting. The head is relatively small, rounded. The forehead is convex, the facial parts of the head are moderately elongated. The ears are small, rounded and set wide apart. The eyes are small, the pupil is round. The mane or elongated hair in the upper part of the neck and on the cheeks (sideburns) is absent. Vibrissae are represented by black, white and half black half white elastic hairs up to 110 mm long. The skull as a whole is massive, relatively low, rather elongated, with not widely spaced zygomatic arches, the nasal bones are elongated, evenly tapering behind. An adult leopard, like most other cats, has 30 teeth. On the top and mandible 6 incisors, 2 canines; on the upper jaw - 3 premolars and 1 molar; on the lower jaw - 2 premolars and 1 molar each. The canines are relatively thin at the base, but at the same time long and sharp. The long and movable tongue is equipped with special tubercles on the sides, which are covered with keratinized epithelium and allow you to separate the meat from the victim's skeleton. These bumps also help with "washing".

Territorial behavior

The Far Eastern leopard is a solitary, predominantly nocturnal animal. The spatial position of habitats does not depend on the season and remains unchanged throughout the year. The size of the area of ​​the male is on average 238 km - 316 km, up to a maximum of 509 km, in females, as a rule, 4-6 times less - on average 107-128 km. The leopard uses its individual site, as well as permanent trails and shelters for brood, for many years. The size of the plot depends on: the age and sex of the leopard, the season of the year (the plot is smaller in summer than in winter), the relief and the number of main food items on the plot. The smallest area in lactating females, its size is not more than 10 km. In females with one-year-old kittens, the area reaches 25-40 km, and with older kittens and young lone leopards, its size can reach 100-250 km. The areas of sexually mature males reach the largest size. Adult males from year to year inhabit their individual habitats. The sites of different leopards can coincide with each other in their boundaries, and several leopards can use one permanent mountain path at the same time. Sole ownership of a site is based on the protection of its central part, and not its borders. Juvenile males predominantly roam the habitats of resident males, hunt in their territories and are not attacked until they begin to mark the territory. In most conflict situations, leopards are limited to using threatening postures and sounds. However, direct collisions are also possible, which may end in the death of a weaker male. The habitats of females also do not overlap with each other. The territories of the territorial males completely or partially overlap with the territories of the habitats of two or three adult females. It should be noted that adult males practically do not populate the unproductive hunting areas of females, which are predominantly populated by young leopards. systems. It includes visual cues, scent cues, and vocalizations. Visual marks include scuff marks on the trunks of standing and fallen trees, loosening of soil or snow, as well as a trace chain. Smell marks include excrement and urine marks on the ground. Most often, leopards use combined marks - urinary points or excrement in soil loosening. Animals mainly mark not the boundaries of their habitat along its perimeter, but the central parts of their hunting areas, using combined marks.

Hunting and food

The Far Eastern leopard is most active mainly one to two hours before sunset and in the first half of the night. In winter, in cloudy weather, it can hunt during the day. She always goes hunting alone, only females hunt together with grown-up kittens. He hunts on the ground, using, like other types of big cats, two main methods of hunting: sneaking up on prey and waiting for it in ambush. Quietly sneaking up to the prey at 5-10 meters, he makes a sharp jerk and a subsequent series of jumps on the victim. Having killed large prey, single leopards live near its carcass for 5-7 days. If a person approaches the carcass, then usually the leopard does not show aggression and, after he leaves, returns to his prey. The Far Eastern leopard is a predator and consumes everything that it can get, regardless of size - from small rodents to large deer, and in in some cases, possibly bears. Regardless of the season of the year, the main share in the diet of the Far Eastern leopard is occupied by such ungulates as dappled deer and Siberian roe deer. In their absence, wild boars (mainly piglets) and red deer calves play an increased role in its diet, but the latter species has not been recorded in the habitat of the Amur leopard from the Russian side for a long time. Thanks to the increase in the number of wild boars in areas where the leopard lives, it is easier for him to survive winters when there are few roe deer. During snowy winters, he often uses boar trails as a route or ambush site. Usually an adult animal needs one adult ungulate for 12-15 days. Under poor hunting conditions, the interval between the production of large ungulates can reach 20-25 days. The badger and the raccoon dog, being secondary food objects, at the same time play a key role in the diet of the Amur leopard, even in cold period of the year. During the period of starvation, the leopard hunts hares, pheasants, hazel grouses. There were erroneous reports about the leopard hunting for moose, and there is also evidence about his hunting for young Himalayan bears. Cases of prey by the Far Eastern leopard of the Himalayan bears were described in the works of N. G. Vasiliev and V. P. Sysoev. These authors noted that Amur leopards attacked young, up to two years old, Himalayan bears. Perhaps the leopard also preys on motherless cubs, or feeds on the corpses of bears. In China, the leopard feeds on gorals (in those places where they still survived), before their extinction in Primorsky Krai, gorals were also the prey of leopards. It feeds on different animals depending on the season and the number of certain types of prey in the habitat of a particular leopard: in summer eats much more invertebrates, birds and small mammals, although roe deer are still the main diet. IN autumn-winter period roe deer account for 66.2% of the diet, and the rest is wild boar (9.1%), musk deer (7.8%), spotted deer (6.5%), Manchurian hare (3.9%), badger (2 .6%), raccoon dog (2.6%). With a lack of food, the leopard's fasting period can last up to two weeks. A large amount of plant remains in the leopard's excrement - up to 7.6% (mainly cereals) are associated with their ability to cleanse the digestive tract of predatory animals. In most cases, the leopard eats grass to cleanse the gastrointestinal tract from wool, mainly from its own, swallowed while cleaning its fur.

reproduction

Leopards breed extremely slowly: in 80% of cases, females give birth to 1-2 cubs, pregnancy can occur once every three years, and the number of females capable of breeding is small. Far Eastern leopards are polygamous. Estrus in females occurs in late autumn - early winter. During estrus, the female often urinates. Like other cats, the breeding season is accompanied by fights and a loud roar of males, although in normal times the leopard rarely gives a voice, being more silent than the lion and tiger. During the mating period, males show the greatest interest in females with maturing kittens ready to move on to independent life. During the breeding season, males seek contact with females, visit places of their most likely location, more often mark trails and places frequented by leopards with visual marks and smell marks. Mating usually occurs in January, in some cases before the previous brood of the female breaks up and even in the presence of juveniles. The lair is arranged by the female, as a rule, in caves and crevices. After 90-105 days of pregnancy, cubs appear. Usually there are 1-4 cubs in one brood, while females living in the territory of the PRC usually have 3-4 cubs in a litter, and females from Primorsky Krai have 1-3 cubs. Births occur frequently, but the mortality of cubs is extremely high. Kittens are born blind, covered with thick fur with spotted coloration. Their weight is 400-600 grams. They see within nine days of birth, on average on the seventh day. On the 12-15th day, the kittens begin to crawl, at the age of 35 days they walk well, and by two months they can leave the den. The mother is in charge of raising the cubs. Kittens at the age of 2-3 months leave the den and begin to follow their mother throughout the entire habitat, making small transitions up to 4 km long. Upon reaching the age of 4-5 months, kittens become capable of longer (up to 8 km) transitions, but still need temporary shelters, which are already chosen by the female less carefully. With the increase in the age of kittens, the exactingness of the female to the selection of shelters for them decreases. For kittens at a younger age, deep snow is a serious obstacle to movement. Up to 6 months, when moving in the snow, kittens mainly try to follow the trail of the female, and later they can move both behind the female and parallel to it. Lactation lasts for the female from 3 to 5-6 months. Kittens begin to eat meat at the age of 6-8 weeks. According to observations, from the first visit of prey with a female at the age of 2-3 months, cubs already eat meat, but at the same time, the female continues to feed them with milk. From the age of 8 months, kittens are trained by the female to search for prey. At the age of 9-10 months, kittens are able to make independent transitions. Males usually show independence before females. According to observations in the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve, young leopards at the age of 11-12 months were already able to stay without a female for long periods of time and move independently around the habitat. Kittens are with the female mainly until the age of 13-14 months. The time of litter decay after the kittens reach this age depends mainly on the time of the appearance of the next offspring in the female. By this time, young leopards usually already leave their mother, but sometimes the brood can remain with the female even after the appearance of new offspring. According to A. A. Sludsky, upon reaching 2-3 years of life, leopards reach sexual maturity, males a little later than females. According to observations in zoos, puberty in females occurs in the period from 20 to 46 months, and the appearance of the first offspring in them was noted at the age of 25 to 55 months. Males mate for the first time when they reach the age of 24-35 months. According to observations in the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve, signs of sexual activity in males and females are observed at the age of 24-26 months.

Habitat of the Far Eastern leopard

The historical range of the Far Eastern leopard covered the southern regions of the Ussuri Territory, vast areas of Northeast China (Manchuria), as well as the Korean Peninsula. The existence of the leopard in this area has been reliably known since the Upper Pleistocene. The leopard is able to live in any landscape, but avoids populated or actively visited places. Its permanent habitats are large mountain formations with ledges, cliffs and outcrops, alternating with gentle and steep slopes, on which oak and cedar forests grow, and the population density of roe deer is not less than 10 animals per 1000 ha, while the territory should inhabit other ungulates. The most optimal place for its habitat in the Primorsky Territory is the middle and end of the course of the rivers that carry their waters to the Amur Bay and the course of the Razdolnaya River. This area covers an area of ​​300-350 thousand hectares, and the altitude is about 500-700 m, and it has a high and stable population of ungulates. These habitats of the leopard have uneven terrain, small amounts of snow in winter and are covered with coniferous-broad-leaved forests in which Korean cedar and black fir grow. In the 20th century, leopards were distributed in the southeastern part of Russia, in northeastern China and on the Korean Peninsula . As a result of human development of the territory of the range of leopards within former USSR, it was divided into three areas isolated from each other and, accordingly, three populations, which was proved by the accounting made in 1972-1973. this moment The Far Eastern leopard lives only in mountainous and wooded areas with an area of ​​​​approximately 10-15 thousand km², located between Russia, China and the DPRK.

Far Eastern leopard in Russia

Literary historical data on the distribution of the subspecies in the Russian Far East are very scarce and fragmentary. Researchers of the Amur-Ussuri region in the middle of the 19th century noted the habitation of the Amur leopard in various regions of the region: the valley of the Ussuri River and areas more southerly in relation to its basin. There are also indications of encounters with a leopard in the vicinity of Lake Khanka and throughout the Ussuri region as a whole. Leopold Ivanovich Schrenk in his works expressed the opinion that the Amur leopard is found along the entire course of the Amur up to the coasts of Japan and Seas of Okhotsk and even on Sakhalin. Naturalist, researcher of Siberia and the Far East Richard Karlovich Maak pointed to the habitat of this predator in the Amur basin in the area between the mouths of the Sungari and Gorin rivers. There were indications of rare encounters with a leopard in the southeastern Transbaikalia in the area of ​​the Nerchinsk plant. The researcher of the Far East, Vladimir Klavdievich Arseniev, drew the northern border of the range in the Ussuri Territory until the early 1900s from Lake Khanka south to Ussuriysk, and then northeast to Anuchino, to the Przhevalsky Ridge and further north along the eastern slopes of the Sikhote-Alin along sea ​​coast to Olga Bay. On the territory of Russia, a single range of the Far Eastern leopard, probably, could only exist in the very distant past. By the middle of the 19th century, the division of the leopard's habitat into three isolated areas began: the territory of the modern Khanka and Border regions, the southern part of Sikhote-Alin, as well as the territory in the south-west of Primorsky Krai - in the Nadezhdinsky and Khasan regions. A survey conducted in 1983-1984 showed that only one population of Far Eastern leopards, living in the east of the Khasansky district, survived in Russia. As the population increased and the development of the Far East, the territories suitable for the habitation of the Far Eastern leopard decreased, and the gap between the three areas named above increased. Pikunov D. G. and Korkishko V. G. (region of the Komissarovka River) and Sikhote-Alin (southern part of Sikhote-Alin) habitats of the Far Eastern leopard. The northwestern section has lost its significance since the mid-1970s, as the factor of anthropogenic interference increased and the migration routes of ungulates changed against the background of a general decrease in their numbers. An analysis of tracks of large cats in the late 1980s in the Sikhote-Alin area showed that the vast majority of them belong to a tiger or lynx, the only trace of the Far Eastern leopard found did not allow us to reliably confirm its presence in this area. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the Far Eastern leopard lived on the territory of the Ussuriysky State Nature Reserve, where it was a common species both on the territory of the reserve itself and in the areas adjacent to it. However, in the 1930s-1940s, in the Ussuriysky Reserve, as in other reserves, the destruction of all predatory animals, including the leopard, was carried out in a planned manner. year) and a stuffed animal killed in 1952 (caught near the village of Nizhnyaya Vereya on the Argun River and stored in the Chita Museum of Local Lore), which served as the basis for the inclusion of a rare animal in the Red Book of the Trans-Baikal Territory.

Far Eastern leopard in China

According to estimates made in the 1970s, the size of the Far Eastern leopard population in China has decreased by 70%. As a result of the 1983-1984 count, it turned out that one of the possibly two surviving leopard populations is located in remote mountainous areas in the Chinese provinces of Jilin and Heilongjiang, on a small section of the border between Russia and China. In 2007, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) concluded that Amur leopards were extinct in China. Then, in 2012, documented evidence of the existence of Far Eastern leopards in the region of China bordering Russia appeared. In China, with the support of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the National Science Foundation, photo monitoring has been carried out since 2012. Camera traps installed in the reserve on the territory of Hunchun County confirmed the fact that from 8 to 11 individuals live here. Comparison of photographs of leopards revealed many coincidences with individuals registered in Russia, which indicates the active movement of animals across the border. As of 2016, during the joint Russian-Chinese monitoring of the Amur leopard population in China, 40 individuals were identified, however, 30 of them are migratory between Russia and China and are regularly recorded by camera traps in the territory of the Russian Federation. Thus, the permanent population of individuals of the subspecies in China, which have never been recorded in Primorye, is 10 leopards.

Far Eastern leopard in Korea

Leopards were last seen in South Korea in 1969 in the mountainous region of Gyeongsangnam-do province in the southeast of the country. According to unconfirmed reports, single individuals can live in the area around the demilitarized zone between North and South Korea. There is no reliable information about the current habitat of the Far Eastern leopard in the territory of the DPRK. However, its presence in the northern regions of the country near the border with Russia and China is not ruled out. According to some sources, in the second half of the 20th century in North Korea about 40 individuals lived in a reservation near Paektusan. However, special studies conducted in the late 1990s could not prove the presence of Far Eastern leopards in the territory of the three northern provinces of the DPRK.

The Amur leopard has never been numerous in the history of its observation. In Transbaikalia and the Amur region, he did not live permanently, but only entered from the adjacent territories of Northeast China. In the Ussuri Territory, its numbers have also never been high. Literature data on the abundance of the Far Eastern subspecies in the past characterize it as a common but small predator for the south of the Far East. In 1870, Nikolai Mikhailovich Przhevalsky pointed out that the leopard is found throughout the Ussuri Territory, but in smaller numbers than the Amur tiger. Data on the number of the subspecies in the Soviet period are scarce and indicate the rarity of this predator in the Primorsky Territory. In 1972-1973, 38-49 Far Eastern leopards lived in the Primorsky Territory, of which some were regular newcomers from the DPRK, and only 25-30 individuals lived permanently in Primorye. In 1976, there were about 30-36 leopards in Primorye, of which only 12-15 lived there permanently. In 1983-1984, a count was made, according to its results, it became known about the disappearance of leopards in western Primorye and southern Sikhote-Alin. In the south-west of Primorye at that time the number of leopards remained the same and amounted to 25-30 individuals, 10 of them lived on the border with China. Three subsequent counts confirmed that the number of leopards in the area is stable: 33-36 leopards in 1990-91, 20-24 leopards in the surveyed area and 29-31 leopards in total in February 1997, in February of the following year 40 leopards were counted, although this estimate is considered too high. According to a study conducted in 2000-2008, the population remained stable, although at a very low level. Genetic analysis made it possible to individually identify 18 males and 19 females. In February 2013, a track count revealed 49 Amur leopards in southwestern Primorye. Of these, 70% (34 leopards) were inhabitants of the Leopard Land National Park. In 2015, according to the results of the winter count of the number of leopards in the territory of the National Park "Land of the Leopard", at least 57 individuals were identified. At the same time, according to Yuri Darman, taking into account the leopards living in China, at least 70 individuals live in the wild in the world. According to representatives of the national park, to create a relatively stable population of leopards, at least 120 individuals are needed. According to the data for 2014, updated in August 2015, there were 80 individuals of leopards, 70 of them in Russia, most of which (57 individuals) live on the territory of the National Park "Land of the Leopard". Of the females on the territory of the Kedrovaya Pad Reserve, one sexually mature female constantly lived, the range of another female went beyond the boundaries of the reserve, and one male regularly visited the territory.

Today, captive Far Eastern leopards can be a valuable reserve for preserving the genetic fund and taking part in breeding programs and reintroducing individuals into the wild. Most individuals are in zoos in Europe, North America and Russia. The Far Eastern leopard is extremely difficult to breed in captivity: mating requires animals from different zoos, and individuals often do not like each other. Far Eastern leopards have been bred in the Kedrovaya Pad Nature Reserve, as well as in the Moscow and Novosibirsk zoos. All leopards bred in captivity are descended from 10 individuals. At the same time, one of these leopards (the most productive, or “founder No. 2”) may not be from the Far East. The data obtained as a result of molecular DNA research and morphological analysis suggest that founder No. 2 belongs not to the Far Eastern, but to the North Chinese subspecies (P.p.japonensis). Therefore, individuals with no more than 10-20% of the genes of the “North Chinese” founder can participate in breeding the population of the Far Eastern leopard. There are 10 purebred leopards, the origin of which is beyond doubt, 6 of them belong to the Moscow Zoo. A study by Olga Ufyrkina, an employee of the Biological and Soil Institute of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, carried out by her using molecular methods, established the purebredness of 100 Far Eastern leopards. EEP). By the end of 2010, 68 males and 46 females were kept in 48 zoos (a total of 114 individuals). Attempts to artificial insemination of leopards did not bring results.

Causes and threats of extinction

Due to its small population, the Far Eastern leopard has never been the main hunting object, and in the past it was caught mainly by chance, while hunting ungulates. In 1911-1914, 1-2 leopards were killed annually in the Amur-Ussuri Territory, in some years the number of individuals shot only in Primorye reached 11. Due to their small number, they were hunted on occasion, and far from all skins were sent to blanks dead leopards. For example, from 1934 to 1965, 39 skins were sent to the procurement centers of the Primorsky Territory, and the number of those killed during the same period was much higher. From 1953 to 1972, despite the ban on hunting leopards, 58 individuals were destroyed. During the period from 1956 to 1976, more than 80 leopards were caught and shot. It is poaching that is one of the main problems of its conservation. The reasons for poaching of leopards are the demand for animal skins, which are then sold at a price of 500-1000 dollars apiece, and the extraction of some parts of the body of leopards that are used in oriental medicine. In Primorsky Krai, residents of neighboring states (mainly China) purposefully organize illegal buying rare biological resources, which include the skins and bones of Far Eastern leopards. Also, the cause of poaching was unemployment and poverty of the inhabitants of Primorsky Krai. In addition, traps and nooses placed on other animals also pose a threat to leopards. Often, leopards are killed by deer park owners, as leopards cause damage to the deer population. There are several known cases of leopard deaths from poachers. In 2009, a pregnant female leopard was killed in the Nezhin hunting ground. The dead leopard was found thanks to the crows surrounding the corpse of the female. The examination showed that the female was killed by a firearm, after which the damaged parts of the body were cut off in an attempt to hide traces of a gunshot wound. Even before this incident in 2004, another female leopard was killed on the territory of the Nezhinsky hunting ground. WWF believes that one of the reasons for the death of leopards is the negligence of the management of the farm, which resulted in an influx of hunters during the next hunting season, as well as non-compliance with the recommendations of leopard conservation specialists.

According to genetic and phylogenetic data, its closest relatives are the Indochinese leopard and the northern Chinese leopard. In distant relatives you can write African lion and tiger.

The first description of this animal was made in 1857 by the German naturalist Hermann Schlegel. Moreover, all the conclusions of the scientist were based only on the data of the examination of the skin taken from the animal killed in Korea.

Famous Russian travelers, naturalists Ivan Yankovsky and Nikolai Przhevalsky, mentioned the leopard in their travel notes. Several monographs of the Soviet period are devoted to the Far Eastern subspecies of leopards.

Habitat

The distribution range of the predator covers an area of ​​10 - 15 thousand km 2, extends slightly north of the 45th parallel and is actually located in the subtropical zone. However, cold currents Pacific Ocean and cold air masses Eastern Siberia make the seaside microclimate not at all as comfortable as in Sochi or on the Crimean peninsula.

It is characterized by long frosty winters with temperatures up to -400 C and hot short summer with air temperature up to + 300 C and above. Despite such sharp temperature fluctuations, the Far Eastern leopard animal is perfectly adapted to the harsh climate and to the almost African heat that periodically replaces it.

The habitual habitat of the beast is mixed forests, rocky slopes, mountain ledges and shores, indented with many caves. The animal hunts at altitudes up to 500 - 700 meters above sea level, where the population of ungulates is always stable, and, therefore, there is enough food.

Subspecies number

See this predator in natural environment habitat - real luck and good luck. Throughout history, there has not been a single evidence of a large population. Despite this, in ancient times, the animal was found throughout the Ussuri territory, was an object of fishing on the Korean Peninsula. There are documented information about hundreds of exterminated animals (an agreement dated 1637 for the supply of skins between China and Korea).

Human economic activity, poaching, illegal logging of taiga forests, Forest fires led to the fact that by the end of the twentieth century, these leopards in nature were negligible.

In South Korea, the animal was last seen in 1969. Information about the life of animals in North Korea is currently not available, what is the population of the Far Eastern leopard in this region is not known. Until 2000, about 40 individuals lived there. In 2015, the number of the Far Eastern leopard within the borders of Primorsky Krai did not exceed 60 individuals, in China it was only 12 animals.

Appearance

The Far Eastern leopard is a rather large wild cat, but smaller in size than a tiger, lion and jaguar.

• The slender, graceful body of a predator has an elongated shape, somewhat “flattened” from the sides, its length is 105–137 cm. The height at the withers is 60–78 cm.
• The tail is long - 80 - 90 cm.
• The limbs are powerful, not long.
• The claws are sharp, retractable, on the front paws up to five centimeters in length.
• The mass of an adult male is from 32 to 53 kg, females - does not exceed 43 kg.
• The head is rounded, relatively small in size.
• The forehead is powerful and convex.
• The nose is wide, elongated, dark in color.
• The ears are set wide, rounded, small, black at the back.
• Eyes with a round pupil, not large.
• Whiskers are elastic, up to 10 cm long, black and white.
• Fangs are sharp, long, like blades.
• The animal has a thick soft coat that fits snugly to the body. The length of the pile on the belly reaches 7 cm, on the back - 2.5 cm in summer and up to 5 cm in winter. The main color of the coat is yellow with a reddish or reddish tint, in winter it is not as bright as in summer. This is especially noticeable in photos taken at different time periods.

The description of the breed in winter is somewhat different from the description in summer. And all this is due to the changes taking place with the fur of the animal.

Spotted coloring allows the animal to merge with the environment, become invisible to the victim and enemies. The location of the markings on the coat is unique for each individual and allows them to be identified: there are two types of black markings - ring-shaped and solid.

Small uniform spots are located on the chin, forehead, near the mustache, on the cheeks, paws and the lower part of the body are covered with larger marks. Dark rings up to 5 cm in diameter are scattered on the back and sides. The tail at the top is decorated with large spots - solid and ring-shaped.

Lifestyle

The behavior of the Far Eastern leopard is not much different from the behavior of other representatives of the cat family - he loves loneliness and independence.

• The hunting grounds of the male occupy vast territories - from 238 to 509 km 2. Their boundaries do not change throughout the year, in the future they depend on the amount of food on the site, age (they can expand, decrease).
• Females occupy more modest areas - 10 - 40 km 2 for females with small kittens and up to 100 - 250 km 2 for females with offspring of one and a half year old. They have been attached to them for many years, they know every path and cave.

The living space of individuals often coincides along the boundaries, and one mountain path can be used by several predators at once. Direct encounters are rare, but if they do, they end tragically for the weaker individual. As a rule, relationships are sorted out by adult and young males, sometimes there are conflicts between the male and the female, especially when she has to protect her cubs.

In the hunting grounds where the Far Eastern leopard lives, you can find visual marks - deep scratches on tree trunks, loosened soil or snow. The animal also marks its personal space with urine. Marks are located mainly in the central part of the territory, and not along its borders.

The wolf is a potential threat. A pack of wolves can attack kittens or an adult animal. With a tiger and an ordinary lynx, the beast does not have any particular contradictions. Brown and Himalayan bears can take prey from him and force him out of their own den, so the Far Eastern leopard stays away from them.

Hunting and diet

Night solo trips for prey are common for this predator. He does not like fuss and noise. For a long time it waits for the victim, imperceptibly creeps up to it. With the ease and grace of a panther, it overtakes the animal in several jumps, thrusts sharp fangs into the throat. It eats right away, tearing off pieces of meat from the victim with its teeth.

Large prey is enough for 5 - 7 days. The predator hides the leftover food in a secluded place (under trees, in small niches) or drags it to its lair. From time to time, badgers and raccoons make nightly visits to the hiding place, foxes, wild boars and even bears are not averse to profiting from other people's stocks. But most often a tasty morsel falls to crows, magpies and tits.

Everything that the Far Eastern leopard eats cannot be counted. Favorite dish is wild goats and deer, the predator hunts them in summer. IN winter time the beast switches to East Asian deer cubs and wild boars. Small rodents, raccoons, hares, hazel grouses, badgers, pheasants serve as secondary "fodder products". This leopard can also attack cubs.

Reproduction and care of offspring

Not all females are able to give offspring, moreover, according to different reasons, it often dies. The mating season lasts several days, falls at the end of autumn or the beginning of January. Males are more interested in young females, for them they arrange bloody battles. Animals do not create long-term pairs. After mating, the female tries to get rid of the unwanted neighborhood with the male and, secretly from him, prepares the den for the upcoming birth.

Pregnancy lasts 3 - 3.5 months. Usually the female is born from 1 to 4 kittens. A cub of the Far Eastern leopard is born blind, weighs no more than 600 grams, and in a large litter - about 400 grams. It is covered with thick fluffy sandy fur with pronounced spotting.

Kittens open their eyes at 7 days, start crawling at two weeks, walk at a month and a half, and by two months they are already showing up from the den. Three-month-old babies make four-kilometer runs with their mother, five-month-olds can easily overcome 8 km.

Up to 5 - 6 months, the cubs feed on mother's milk. The first time they try meat at 1.5 - 2 months, by 3 months they can’t do without it at all. Next to the mother, most often, they remain until the next offspring appear, but they can live independently from a year and a half. The Far Eastern leopard reaches puberty - the male reaches the age of 2 - 3 years, the female at 2 years.

In captivity, the predator lives for more than 20 years, in natural, natural conditions- from 10 to 15 years.

Security measures

The predator is included in the International Red Book as the rarest subspecies, the habitat of which is limited. The main population is located on the territory of the Russian Federation, where hunting for this animal has been prohibited since 1956. If not for the intervention of the state, the Far Eastern leopard would have long been considered an extinct species.

Scientists have been facing the task of saving the genetic fund of this leopard subspecies for many years in a row. Animals in zoos in Europe, Asia and Russia participate in the European program for the conservation and breeding of the Far Eastern subspecies. Of these, only 10 individuals can be considered purebred, the rest are the result of crossing with the North Chinese subspecies.

Since 2008, a government program has been running in Russia aimed at saving the Far Eastern leopard and increasing its population. The strategy for the conservation of the animal primarily includes the creation of protected areas. One of the oldest reserves in Russia "Kedrovaya Pad", where this subspecies constantly lives, was opened almost a hundred years ago. The Leopardovy Reserve appeared on the territory of Primorsky Krai in 2008.

The largest protected area of ​​Primorsky Krai "Land of the Leopard", which covers 60% of the predator's habitat and has been operating since 2012. The territory of the park stretches from north to south for 150 km, its western border coincides with the border of China. Protecting the Far Eastern leopard and creating favorable conditions for breeding is the main direction of the reserve's work. Park staff maintain the food base of predators and conduct round-the-clock surveillance using camera traps.

Leopard watching

The Far Eastern Amur leopard is cautious and secretive. It rarely catches the eye of a person, quickly retreats, leaving no traces. Apparently, therefore, almost no one could follow him. The solution to the problem was found at the very end of the 20th century, when scientists invented the camera trap. The first photographs of the beast appeared in 2001.

The device is absolutely safe. Consists of a camera, infrared sensor, batteries. The device is installed in the area where the Far Eastern leopard lives, on both sides of the trail. In order for the animal to stop in the middle of the path, a bait with an attractive smell is laid on the ground. The sensor reacts to heat and sends a signal to the camera. The animal enters the frame from two sides at the same time. Replacing digital media and recharging the power supply is carried out once every 5-6 days.

Not so long ago, experts began to use not only photos, but also video shooting around the clock. It allows you to track each predator separately, observe the brood, help the animal, if necessary, collect interesting facts and process statistical data. Video and photographic materials, in the case of the killing of a leopard, help to quickly find the culprit.