The leopard is a member of the cat family, which delights with its attractive, variegated color. These predators belong to the genus Panthers and are divided into subspecies among themselves. The largest representative of this species is considered to be the Persian leopard, which is currently under special attention from wildlife conservationists.
Appearance
Like most leopards, this subspecies has characteristic contrasting spots scattered throughout the body, on the back they have a larger diameter. The main color is grayish-buff, by winter these cats change shade, acquiring a paler color. The spots always remain black-brown. The coat is quite soft and short regardless of the season. The Persian leopard has a slender, slightly elongated body. At the withers, it can grow up to 76 cm. The body length of a cat is on average 170, although there are individuals measuring only 126 cm or, conversely, reaching 183 cm. Females are usually smaller. The tail of the animal is slightlyshorter than the body - from 94 to 116 cm. The ears of a predator are round, small in shape. The cat's weight varies around 60 kilos.
Lifestyle
Basically, this predator lives in one area, not wandering from place to place. He can make small transitions after prey. Usually the Persian leopard settles in the habitats of ungulates. He also tends to avoid snowy areas. Active life begins in the late afternoon and continues until the morning. If the weather is cool, the predator may appear during the day. The hunting style of this animal is “stalking”, occasionally it can chase prey. These felines are not at all squeamish and eat their prey along with the intestines. They may also feed on semi-decomposed carcasses of animals, and the remains are hidden in bushes or other suitable shelters. The main diet includes wild ungulates. But the beast will not refuse even a porcupine, a fox, birds, hares, a small predator or rodents. It practically does not attack livestock, only when absolutely necessary in too snowy, prolonged winters. The nature of the animal is quite cautious. He tries to hide, but if he is wounded, in order to protect himself, he may attack a person.
Where does the Persian leopard live? A photo of the animal shows that placers of stones and rocky areas are close to it. Of course, this beast needs shelter for life, so it can be found more often in gorges, inside which streams flow. But it is also found in deciduous forestsand can rest in trees.
Kittens
At three years old, a leopard is ready to breed. The rut usually falls in December-January, and kittens appear around April. The female can bring up to 4 babies, but more often there are 2 or 3 cubs in the litter. For three months, the young animals feed on milk, then the mother begins to feed them with game. Kittens stay with the female for about a year and a half, after which they go to "their own bread".
Disappearing species
Unfortunately, the attractive color has become a bait for poachers, who hunted leopards with particular greed. Also, the decline in the species is associated with human activities, which took away the territory of the animal from the animal, due to which the number of ungulates that the leopard fed on decreased. The third factor in the instant reduction of individuals is intentional destruction, since it was ranked among the animals that harm domestic livestock. In most of the Transcaucasian republics, the Persian leopard was subject to extermination all year round, like the wolf. As a result, according to modern estimates, there are only 870 - 1300 animals of this subspecies in the world. Most of these felines live in freedom in Iran, where there are approximately 550 - 850 heads. They are also found in Afghanistan, but there are not more than 300 individuals there. A little less lives in Turkmenistan, about a hundred. In Armenia and Azerbaijan, there are only ten of these spotted. In Georgia, Turkey and Nagorno-Karabakh, 3-5 individuals each.
Todayall actions that lead to the extermination of the spotted predator are prohibited not only in Russia, but also in all its habitats. The authorities are striving to restore the population of the animal, which is already listed in the Red Book. It is planned that the population of the animal will be restored on the territory of Russia in 15 years, and thus the Persian leopard will be saved. In the Krasnodar Territory, to implement this, two males caught in the wild in Turkmenistan and two females from Iran were settled in the national park. Almost all hopes are pinned on the offspring of these couples. It is planned to restore the population of this animal in the Caucasus, because until the 20th century this species of leopard lived in all the mountainous areas of this region.
On coins
Russian Sberbank minted seven new coins from the "Save Our World" series. This time, the Central Asian leopard has replenished the monetary collection with the image of rare animals of the country. The coin of this series was shown to the world in 2011. In total, seven “leopards” of various denominations were minted, three of them were made of silver and four of them were made of gold.
Description of coins
On the obverse of each denomination there is a traditional image of a double-headed eagle, whose wings "look" down, under it there is an inscription "Bank of Russia". The denomination of the coin, the assay with the designation of the metal, the year of minting and the mint mark are written around the frame of dots. The reverse depicts a leopard in various poses and actions. The background is decorated with the outlines of nature. At the bottom, each coin of the "Asiatic leopard" - 11 has the inscription "Let's save our world" along the piping.
