Indian Leopard
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 Indian Leopard
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| Panthera pardus fusca |
The Indian leopard ( Panthera pardus fusca) is a subspecies of leopards that is native to the Indian subcontinent.
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[edit] Description
[edit] Habitat/Range
The Indian leopard is one of the most successful models of big cats in India. The animal thrives throughout the country. With habitats ranging from dry deciduous forests, grasslands, coniferous forests, rainforests, and desert regions. It also lives in the neighboring countries of China, Nepal, Pakistan, Bhutan, and Bangladesh.
[edit] Hunting/Behavior
Found throughout the Indian subcontinent, the leopard's diet consists of a variety of quarry. When hunting, the animal silently stalks unnoticed, then dashes out of the thickness and leaping on its prey, killing with a suffocating bite to the throat. It then stores its prey on top of a tree out of reach from scavengers. The leopard preys on creatures such as, small animals, birds, monkeys, deer, wild pigs, and antelopes. It is a solitary hunter. Females occupy territories of 10-30 km² or more. These areas are defended in fights and are marked by urine spread on logs, branches, and tree trunks in course of travel.
[edit] Breeding
Leopards breed all the year round. Females are sexually receptive at 3-7 week intervals and the period continues for a few days, during which mating is frequent. The female produces the first litter at the age of 2 and a half to 3 years. Normally two cubs are born, sometimes resulting to 3 or 4. And are weaned at about 4 months. The cubs remain with their mother, until they are about 18-20 months old.
[edit] Threats
Despite being the most widespread cat, the Indian leopard has faced several types of threats. The animal shares its habitat with other predators, which include lions, tigers, bears, wolves, hyenas, and wild dogs. These animals would kill the cubs when given a chance. But in case of lions and tigers, it often results to a full-grown leopard falling prey. Apart from its natural enemies, the leopard's main threat are people. For years, it has been threatened, due to loss of habitat and poaching. In some parts of India, the animal thrives alongside people. There, it would go about searching for an easy meal of domestic livestock. Thus, resulting to a man-leopard conflict. This problem, however, is due to leopard's population growth during recent years. In order to prevent such havocs, the Forest Department sets up traps in the conflict area, or a town. After capturing the animal, they release it in an appropriate habitat faraway from humanity.
