Usually people think that leopards are representatives of the African savanna, although a rare subspecies of leopards can be found in the Far East of our country, as well as in northern China. This subspecies is called the Far Eastern Amur leopard. It is also known as the Amur leopard.
This predator was listed in the Red Book. It belongs to a subspecies that is on the verge of extinction. The Amur leopard population is in critical condition today.
At the same time, the fact that the Amur tiger - its famous "cousin" - has increased its population, gives hope for the conservation of this subspecies. There is an opinion that the Amur leopard, the photo of which is presented in this article, can be saved through the implementation of various environmental projects.
Description of the breed
This leopard has many distinctive features from other felines. In summer, the wool reaches 2.5 centimeters in length, and in winter it is replaced by 7 centimeters. In frostthe Amur leopard has a light coat color with a reddish-yellow tint, while in summer more saturated and bright colors predominate.
The Far Eastern Amur leopard (the photo of the animal is presented in this article) has long legs that allow it to walk freely in the snow. At the same time, the weight of males reaches 48 kg, although there are also larger representatives of the breed - 60 kg. Females weigh up to 43 kg.
Habitat
At the beginning of the 20th century, the leopard was found in the south of Sikhote-Alin, as well as in the southwestern part of Lake Khanka, although in recent years it has not been reliably recorded there. At present, the Amur leopard lives in the mountain forest regions of the southwestern part of Primorsky Krai, where it clearly prefers cedar-black-fir-broad-leaved forests. It is less willing to populate broad-leaved forests, especially pyrogenic oak forests, the area of \u200b\u200bwhich is increasing due to annual fires.
This representative of the Cat family chooses territories with steep slopes of hills, rugged terrain, watersheds and rocky outcrops. Its range at the present moment has been reduced to a critical size and covers only a mountain forest limited area of 15 thousand km² (in Primorye, from Posyet Bay to the Razdolnaya River, as well as on the border with North Korea and China).
Historical distribution
Today, the distribution of the subspecies has shrunk to a fraction of its historical original range. Initially, the Far Eastern leopard lived throughout the northeasternparts of Manchuria, in the provinces of Heilongjiang and Jilin, including, in addition, on the Korean Peninsula.
Life cycle and reproduction
In the Amur leopard, puberty occurs at the age of 3 years. In the wild, life expectancy is about 15 years, while in captivity it is 20 years. The Amur leopard has a mating season in the spring. Litter includes 1-4 cubs. At the age of three months, they are weaned, while the cubs gain independence at 1.5 years, leaving their mother in order to then lead a solitary life.
Social structure
The Amur leopard (pictures with its image are presented in this article) prefers a solitary nocturnal lifestyle. But some males after mating can stay with their females, and also help in raising the cubs. It often happens that several males simultaneously pursue one female, and also fight for the opportunity to mate with her.
Food
The basis of his diet is roe deer, raccoon dogs, hares, small boars, badgers, spotted deer.
Main Threats
The Far Eastern Amur leopard in the period from 1970 to 1983 lost more than 80% of its habitat. The main reasons turned out to be: fires, the timber industry, as well as the transformation of land for agriculture. But not all is lost. Currently, there are habitableanimal woodlands. It is possible to protect territories from the harmful influence of humans, in addition, to increase the population.
Lack of loot
It should be noted that in China there are vast areas that are suitable habitat, while the level of food supply here is insufficient to maintain the population at the desired level. The volume of production may increase due to the regulation of the use of forests by the population, as well as the adoption of measures to protect ungulates. The Far Eastern leopard needs to repopulate its original habitat in order to survive.
Illegal trade and poaching
The Amur leopard is constantly hunted illegally because of its spotted and beautiful fur. In 1999, an investigation team conducted an experiment undercover: they were able to recreate the skin of a male and female Amur leopard, after which they sold it for $500 and $1,000.
This experiment demonstrates that there are illegal markets for such products and they are located near animal habitats. Villages and agriculture are surrounded by forests where these animals live. This creates access to forests, and poaching is a more serious problem here than in regions remote from people. This circumstance applies to both leopards and other animals that are exterminated for the sake of money and food.
Conflict with a person
It should be noted thatthe Amur leopard (the photo of the animal is admired for its beauty) is especially vulnerable, since deer make up part of its diet. Man's contribution to the overall decline in the number of deer, associated with the value of his antlers, prevents the leopard from getting enough food.
Due to declining deer populations, leopards often enter reindeer farms in search of food. The owners of these lands often kill animals to protect their investments.
Inbreeding
The Amur leopard is also under threat of extinction due to its small population, which makes it vulnerable to a variety of disasters, including diseases, forest fires, changes in mortality and birth rates, sex ratios, inbreeding depression. It should be noted that family ties were also observed in nature, which means that this can lead to various genetic problems, including a decrease in the birth rate.
Similar matings are found in certain populations of large cats, although in small populations they do not allow outbreeding. Studies have shown that in an adult female, the average number of cubs has significantly decreased.
Unfortunately, at the present moment, the situation with the Amur leopard can be considered truly catastrophic - for example, over the past twenty years, its habitat area in our country has almost halved, while the number has decreased several dozen times. Due to this, today the Amurleopard.
The Red Book of the Russian Federation classified the animal in the first category as the rarest, which is on the verge of extinction, with a very limited range, whose main population is within our country. At the same time, the leopard was included in the Appendix of the First CITES Convention and in the Red Book of the Union for Conservation of Nature.
