Barbary Leopard

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Barbary Leopard
Conservation status
Critically endangered
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Panthera Species: P. pardus Subspecies: P. p. panthera
Trinomial name
Panthera pardus panthera (Schreber, 1777)

The Barbary Leopard, Panthera pardus panthera, which inhabits the Atlas Mountains of northwest Africa, closely resembles the familiar African Leopard. It is a stockier creature than the typical Panthera pardus, with a thicker coat owing to its snowy home. According to some sources, it is adapted in camel-like fashion to the desert and can go almost a month without drinking. Like other leopards, it is an able hunter, capable of bringing down an antelope twice its weight. It will also eat insects and any smaller animals, especially the Barbary Macaque.

It is an endangered subspecies, however, reports vary as to how many remain in captivity and the wild. Estimates can range from total extinction to a dozen in captivity^{[verification needed]} to as many as 250 wild specimens. Last news is that some footprints in Atlas, Morocco, were found by Spanish researchers and therefore confirm the existence of a population. Some expeditions may be on the way to obtain new information about it.

[edit] References

• Cat Specialist Group (1996). Panthera pardus ssp. panthera. 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Database entry includes a brief justification of why this subspecies is critically endangered and the criteria used