Leopard Cat

The Leopard Cat or Panthera pardus is the smallest of roaring cats (tiger, lion, and jaguar.) The Leopard inhabits the southern Asia and Africa. Present-day population of the Leopard Cat has decreased drastically because of habitat destruction, human encroachment, and poaching. Many Leopard populations in India, China, Malaysia, and Indochina are fragmented and isolated. However, despite the continual decline in population and loss of range, the Leopard Cat remains the Least Concern species in the list of endangered species.

There are 27 Leopard subspecies. They inhabit various areas and vary slightly in lifestyle, size, coat color and pattern. The Leopard Cat is characterized by a specific coat pattern. They have irregular dark colored rosettes against a lighter background. The rosettes lack internal spots, like in jaguars. Besides common coat coloration, melanistic Leopard Cats occur in mountainous areas of their range and on the Malayan Peninsula.

Melanistic animals are solid black and are often called black panthers. Both black coat color and spotted pattern of the Leopard Cat serve as camouflage in the rainforest. In Africa, there are almost no melanistic Leopard Cats, as it’s difficult for them to hunt in the savannah. There are also pseudo-melanistic Leopard Cats that have excessive markings that hide the background color. In such animals, only a few streaks of light-brown or yellow indicate the presence of the background color.

The Leopard Cat is extremely good at climbing. It’s very fast and agile, though not as strong as the tiger. Leopard Cats are able to run at a speed over 60 km/h, jump up to 3 meters, and leap over 6 meters. All these talents allow the Leopard Cat to hunt efficiently. These animals are opportunistic hunters that take advantage of anything they find from insects, birds, and fish to antelopes and deer. Usually, Leopard Cats stalk their prey, strangle its throat, and hide the kill high up in the branches. They can carry animals three times their own weight. The Leopard is a nocturnal hunter, but when the sky is overcast, it hunts during the day. In the heat of the day, the Leopard Cat sleeps up in trees or underneath rocks.