Amur Leopard
Introduction The Panthera pardus orientalis or commonly known as the Amur leopard or Korean leopard is part of a complex of subspecies that make up the family of the Asiatic leopard, Panthera pardus, commonly called the African leopard. Using the Carolus Linnaeus system of classification the Amur leopard is listed as follows: Kingdom Animalia Family Felidae Phylum Chordata Genus Panthera Class Mammalia Species Orientalis Order Carnivora According to an article written by Biologist S. Kutscherenko (1995) the wild population of the Amur leopard has dwindled to an estimated 120 to 140 leopards, 30 of which were counted in Russia. Along with many wild animals of the world today, the Amur leopard is facing the possibility of extinction. ... Distribution/Range The Amur Leopard used to range widely throughout Korea, Manchuria and the Primorskaya Oblast of the USSR but today due the carelessness of hunters and the destruction of their habitat and the limited selection of prey they are now reduced to reside in remote areas near the China-Russia border and parts of North Korea (cathouse). If we were to lump all the subspecies together the Amur leopard, with the exception of humans is the most successful naturally occurring land mammal in the Eastern Hemisphere. ... In the taiga, or boreal forests of Russia, the Amur leopard seems most impressive. It is there, the leopard takes on characteristics that are similar to its cousin the Snow leopard, the Amur leopard has long fur and his behavior patterns assist in the conserving of energy and precious heat to sustain the harsh winter conditions (Quigley 1995). The Amur leopard can adapt to almost any habitat that provides sufficient food and cover, for example in the lowlands forests he may make a home in a bush, caves or ledges on mountains, a thicket in the grasslands, brush country and deserts under a rock formation (amurleop). Physical Description The Amur leopard is usually recognized by its rosette patterned coat and its extremely long dark tail. This cat is sometimes confused with the South American Jaguar, though the leopard is less stocky and his rosette marking are generally smaller and have no internal spots unlike the Jaguar (Cats on line). ... In the Amur-Ussuri region the coat tends to be longer and more thick with larger spots (Wildlife). Amur cubs have dark woolly fur with spots close together that are difficult to distinguish with the coat becoming lighter and the spots becoming more distinct with age (Cats on line).