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BloodLustInsanity — Amur Leopard

Published: 2011-08-10 23:40:49 +0000 UTC; Views: 623; Favourites: 31; Downloads: 0
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Description If I am correct this is Artur, a male Amur Leopard, born 14th September 2002!

Photo taken at the Wildlife Heritage Foundation, a Big Cat Sanctuary in Kent!

Species Info:

The fur or Amur Leopards grows between 2.5 cm in the summer to 7.5 cm in winter due to cold Russian winters but mild summers living next to the sea of Japan.

Amur leopards are the rarest of the big cat sub-species.

They are incredible acrobats, exceptionally agile jumpers and climbers, able to leap 12 m horizontally and 6 m vertically.

Weight: Males: 32 - 48 kg (but can weigh up to 75 kg Females: 25 - 43 kg

Diet: The favourite prey of the Amur leopard include Sika and Roe deer but they are opportunistic and consummative hunters so will hunt and eat a variety of different species.

Breeding: Amur leopards are solitary except when breeding/rearing cubs. In the wild they are seasonal breeders and mate in the winter and after a gestation period of approx 96 days they give birth to 2-4 cubs in late spring/early summer.

Cubs are introduced to meat at approximately 6-8 weeks and are weaned after approximately 12 weeks, however they continue to suckle for as long as the mother will allow.

Males will leave their mother between 18 months to 2 years old and find territories of their own. Females leave slightly later and may establish territories overlapping their mother.

Males become sexually mature between 3 and 4yrs, females slightly earlier. They will not breed until after they have established their own territory.

Life Expectancy: 10-15 years in the wild, up to 20 years in captivity.

Wild Population: Estimated to be only 28-30 Amur Leopards left in the wild.

Captive Population: In 2010, 55 males, 38 females and 3 unknowns in Europe; 32 males and 45 females in North America; 1 male and 1 female in Mexico; and 1 male and 1 female in Japan.

The captive population suffers from slight hybridisation. One of the original founding leopard was a North Chinese/Amur leopard hybrid. Due to the lack of available new founders and the critical status of the Amur leopard, this founding gene is being "bred out".

Conservation Status: Critically Endangered

Threats: Habitat loss/fragmentation, mostly due to the practice of setting fire to the forrest in the Russian Far-East to plant ferns for Russian and Chinese dishes. They are also poached for the illegal wildlife trade, are killed in retaliation to livestock predation and their prey is also poached.
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Comments: 3

quaddie [2012-12-07 19:49:34 +0000 UTC]

Lovely shot,i think i need a trip there .

👍: 0 ⏩: 0

SilverVulpine [2011-08-20 04:09:08 +0000 UTC]

Great snarl.

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

BloodLustInsanity In reply to SilverVulpine [2011-08-23 10:55:49 +0000 UTC]

👍: 0 ⏩: 0