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Most often, when people imagine a leopard, they have an association with the African savannah. Despite this, the very north of the habitat of this animal falls on the Far Eastern part of Russia and the northern part of China. This reason was caused by the fact that this predator has the name "Far Eastern leopard." However, this same beast bears the name of the Amur leopard or leopard.
The Amur leopard is included in the Red Book, being an endangered animal, balancing on the verge of extermination. The reason for this is not only the enormous loss of habitat, but also a variety of conflicts with people. Thus, the population of the Amur leopard is experiencing quite difficult times. However, there is a possibility that the subspecies can be preserved, since the “brother” of the Far Eastern leopard - the Amur tiger - managed to increase the number of goals in the population, although half a century ago there were about 40 of them. It is believed that the Amur leopard can be saved if it is effective and timely implement nature conservation projects.
Animal description
A leopard living in the Far East differs in a number of ways from all other individuals belonging to the cat family. Its wool in the summer can reach 2-3 cm, and by the onset of cold weather it grows up to seven centimeters. On the other hand, in winter, the coat has a light shade, with some interspersed yellowish red, and in warmer periods it is more saturated. Also, in comparison with its other brethren, the Amur leopard has stronger and longer limbs, allowing it to move freely in the snow. The body weight of an adult male is approximately 47 kg, but sometimes you can meet larger animals, whose weight can reach 62 kg. Females usually weigh no more than 40 kg.
The trunk of the Far Eastern leopard is graceful, elongated and slender. The tail of the animal is straight, even and long enough. The limbs are muscular, strong, the head has a rounded shape. It was as if nature purposely “presented” the Far Eastern leopard with such a long tail that now allows it to confidently maneuver while jumping from steep cliffs.
The neck of this predator is incredibly powerful, which is what gives it the opportunity to grab the prey and then drag it along with it, even though it can be bigger and heavier by a couple of times.
Habitat
The Amur leopard mainly lives in sparse forests, in an area where rainfall is plentiful, and the temperature range is quite extensive. Currently, the total area occupied by the Far Eastern leopard is approximately 5 thousand square meters. m
The Far Eastern leopard clearly prefers forests where cedars, fir and larch grow. For the comfortable existence of the Amur leopard, it is necessary to populate the territory where there are steep hills, ponds, the relief is crossed, and rock outcrops are present.
Population size
According to official estimates, currently no more than 25 individuals live in the wild. All Far Eastern leopards occupy a small area, which is located on the border between China and Vladivostok. On the territory of China itself, there are about 8-11 adult viable leopards.The last message ο meeting with the Far Eastern leopard in South Korea dates back to 1969, when the animal was caught near Oda Mountain, which is located in Gyeongsangnam-do.
The history of the distribution of the Amur leopard
At this point, it can be argued that the distribution of the population was extremely reduced relative to its original historical habitat. In former times, this magnificent animal occupied the entire northeastern part of "Manchuria", including the province of Jilin and Heilunjiang, and also the Korean postal area.
Social behavior of individuals
The Far Eastern leopard is prone to exist alone, going hunting at night and resting during the day. However, there are many cases when males remained together with the female after mating had already occurred, and even assisted her in raising and finding food for offspring. Also, it often happens that several adult males take care of one female at once, fighting among themselves for the opportunity to mate with her.
Propagation Features
The Amur leopard reaches puberty by the age of three years. In the wild, the animal can live about 13 years, on average. When kept in zoos and aviaries, the life span is extended to twenty years. Amur leopard mating rituals occur in the first month of summer or spring.
One female in a litter gives birth to one to four cubs. Kittens are born completely blind, their skin is already spotty, warm. The fur is silky, sockets are not formed. Their weight barely reaches 700 grams, the body length is approximately 15 cm.
When he turns about three months old, the baby is weaned from mother's milk. The beast becomes completely independent by one and a half to two years of life and can leave its own mother in order to continue to exist in solitude.
Far Eastern leopard feeding
The diet of the animal includes badgers, roe deer, small wild hares or boars, deer and raccoon dogs. In some cases, a predator can attack large birds of prey. This beast has sharp vision, this allows him to see his prey at a great distance, up to one and a half kilometers.
In addition, they can climb tree trunks, so even raccoons will not be able to escape from them. It is curious that it is enough for the Far Eastern leopard to catch only one sika deer, and this will allow it to exist comfortably for the next 10 days, so during this period the predator does not pay attention to another living creature, which is part of its diet.
Threat of existence
The predominant part - about 80 percent - of the natural habitat was lost by the Amur leopard from 1970 to 1983. The list of the main causes of the incident includes random forest fires, the formation of agricultural land and forest industry. However, the joyful moment is that the situation can still improve. At present, there remains a sufficient area of forest area, which is quite suitable for living in the Far Eastern leopard. Such a territory can still be provided with protection from the harmful effects of humans and to expand the animal population in the wild.
The vast majority of the population currently lives in reserves and nurseries. In the wild, unfortunately, there are already quite mature individuals that are unlikely to be able to give birth to strong and viable offspring.
Production shortage
In China, there are lands with a large area where the Far Eastern leopard can live comfortably, but the main problem is that the food supply in this territory is too scarce, it is simply not enough to maintain the population size at the right level.
The volume of small animals that is included in the diet of an animal can be increased if the use of the woodland by the people living in close proximity to them is managed in a quality and timely manner. In addition, it is necessary to introduce effective measures to protect ungulates from the actions of poachers. In order for the Far Eastern leopard to survive, he will need to re-populate the area that had once been his habitat.
The problem of poaching and illegal trade
Amur leopard has long been haunted by poachers who hunt for its magnificent fur, decorated with spots. At the very end of the twentieth century, law enforcement officials conducted a major experiment. The skin of two Amur leopards was artificially recreated, which were later sold for a large amount of sun. Barabash, which is located near the Kedrova Padi, is one of the reserves located in Russia.
The success of this experiment once again proves that there is a large volume of illegal markets in which this kind of product is sold from places where the population of protected animals lives. Spacious agricultural areas and small settlements surround the wooded area where Far Eastern leopards live. Thus, a person has direct access to the forest. Due to this, poaching here turns into a really big problem than in areas remote from human access. It is also worth noting that this is a common problem, since it affects not only the population of the Far Eastern leopard, but also a number of other animals that are destroyed by the natives for the sake of meat and money.
Conflict with man
The Far Eastern leopard has a high level of vulnerability, because a certain percentage of their diet is in animals such as deer. In the Far Eastern part of Russia, the deer population has significantly decreased, since deer antlers are highly valuable in Asian medicine. Thus, this becomes a serious obstacle for the leopard to obtain the required amount of food.
Lack of food leads to the fact that the Far Eastern leopard often visits areas where reindeer husbandry is located. It is only natural that the owners of this area in order to protect their own animals sometimes kill the Amur leopard.
Inbreeding
In addition to all of the above, another common problem is the low population of the Amur leopard, as such. The bottom line is that a low number of animals makes the entire population extremely vulnerable and prone to a variety of natural phenomena or disasters.
These include sudden and extensive fires in forested areas, certain diseases, a violation of the relationship between the birth of offspring and mortality of individuals. Also, it happens that for some years males are predominantly born in offspring, therefore, the sexual ratio is violated. Another factor is the so-called inbreeding depression. In the population of these animals, relationships of a related nature often occurred, so it is quite possible that genetic malfunctions could be a consequence of this, which can also include a decrease in the birth rate.
According to studies, from 1973 to 1991, the average number of births in the offspring of leopards fell from 1.9 to 1, respectively.
Video: Far Eastern Leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis)
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