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Arabian Leopard
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Arabian leopard
Arabian Leopard
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Carnivora
Family:
Felidae
Genus:
Panthera
Species:
P. pardus
Subspecies:
P. p.
nimir
Trinomial name
Panthera pardus nimr
(Hemprich
& Ehrenberg, 1833)
The Arabian leopard
(Panthera pardus nimr) is a smaller subspecies of leopard than that of
its cousins in Asia and Africa. It is a critically endangered and their
population trend is still declining. The Arabian leopard lives in Palestine/Israel,
Saudi Arabia, UAE ,Yemen and Oman
Habitat & BehaviorThey are not leopards of
the open desert and bush, but instead live in the high mountains of Arabia,
where it preys on mountain goats, foxes, and other mountain-dwelling animals. Each
adult leopard has their own range which they violently defend from other
leopards of their own sex, however a male's range might overlap that of several
other females. Inside these ranges, the leopards hunt, mate, and raise young. In
this arid terrain they require large territories in order to find enough food,
which means that even at the best of times there have never been many leopards
in this area.
Anatomy
Very light in colour, the
deep golden yellow between the black rosettes is only present on the animal's
back, whilst the rest of the body is beige to greyish-white. At about 30 kgs
(66.14 pounds) for the male and around 20 kgs (44.1 pounds) for the female, the
Arabian leopard is much smaller than most of the African and Asian races.
Diet
and Hunting
As many of their natural
prey species such as the tahr and the mountain gazelle are virtually extinct,
Arabian leopards often have to turn to domestic stock, mainly goats, for food
bringing them into direct conflict with man. They also prey on foxes, or any
other small mammal or bird and will also readily eat carrion. These secretive
animals hunt mainly around dawn and dusk but stay active throughout the night,
while spending the hot hours of the day in a shady place that has an
unobstructed view.
Population
This subspecies of leopard
is critically endangered. A spate of killings by hunters in the early 1990s
triggered a conservation effort, spearheaded by the Arabian Leopard Trust,
which aims at preserving the mountain habitat with all its wildlife. On the Arabian
peninsula their population is only around 100 creatures and no subpopulation
more than 50 individuals. And yet there population is still heading downward. Persecuted
and killed for pest control and also hunted which is still going on today. In
Palestine/Israel there is between 15-18 leopards in all the Negev and the Arava
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Panthera pardus nimr |
The Arabian leopard
(Panthera pardus nimr) is a smaller subspecies of leopard than that of
its cousins in Asia and Africa. It is a critically endangered and their
population trend is still declining. The Arabian leopard lives in Palestine/Israel,
Saudi Arabia, UAE ,Yemen and Oman
Habitat & BehaviorThey are not leopards of
the open desert and bush, but instead live in the high mountains of Arabia,
where it preys on mountain goats, foxes, and other mountain-dwelling animals. Each
adult leopard has their own range which they violently defend from other
leopards of their own sex, however a male's range might overlap that of several
other females. Inside these ranges, the leopards hunt, mate, and raise young. In
this arid terrain they require large territories in order to find enough food,
which means that even at the best of times there have never been many leopards
in this area.
Anatomy
Very light in colour, the
deep golden yellow between the black rosettes is only present on the animal's
back, whilst the rest of the body is beige to greyish-white. At about 30 kgs
(66.14 pounds) for the male and around 20 kgs (44.1 pounds) for the female, the
Arabian leopard is much smaller than most of the African and Asian races.
Diet
and Hunting
As many of their natural
prey species such as the tahr and the mountain gazelle are virtually extinct,
Arabian leopards often have to turn to domestic stock, mainly goats, for food
bringing them into direct conflict with man. They also prey on foxes, or any
other small mammal or bird and will also readily eat carrion. These secretive
animals hunt mainly around dawn and dusk but stay active throughout the night,
while spending the hot hours of the day in a shady place that has an
unobstructed view.
Population
This subspecies of leopard
is critically endangered. A spate of killings by hunters in the early 1990s
triggered a conservation effort, spearheaded by the Arabian Leopard Trust,
which aims at preserving the mountain habitat with all its wildlife. On the Arabian
peninsula their population is only around 100 creatures and no subpopulation
more than 50 individuals. And yet there population is still heading downward. Persecuted
and killed for pest control and also hunted which is still going on today. In
Palestine/Israel there is between 15-18 leopards in all the Negev and the Arava
They are not leopards of
the open desert and bush, but instead live in the high mountains of Arabia,
where it preys on mountain goats, foxes, and other mountain-dwelling animals. Each
adult leopard has their own range which they violently defend from other
leopards of their own sex, however a male's range might overlap that of several
other females. Inside these ranges, the leopards hunt, mate, and raise young. In
this arid terrain they require large territories in order to find enough food,
which means that even at the best of times there have never been many leopards
in this area.
Anatomy
Very light in colour, the
deep golden yellow between the black rosettes is only present on the animal's
back, whilst the rest of the body is beige to greyish-white. At about 30 kgs
(66.14 pounds) for the male and around 20 kgs (44.1 pounds) for the female, the
Arabian leopard is much smaller than most of the African and Asian races.
Diet
and Hunting
As many of their natural
prey species such as the tahr and the mountain gazelle are virtually extinct,
Arabian leopards often have to turn to domestic stock, mainly goats, for food
bringing them into direct conflict with man. They also prey on foxes, or any
other small mammal or bird and will also readily eat carrion. These secretive
animals hunt mainly around dawn and dusk but stay active throughout the night,
while spending the hot hours of the day in a shady place that has an
unobstructed view.
Population
This subspecies of leopard
is critically endangered. A spate of killings by hunters in the early 1990s
triggered a conservation effort, spearheaded by the Arabian Leopard Trust,
which aims at preserving the mountain habitat with all its wildlife. On the Arabian
peninsula their population is only around 100 creatures and no subpopulation
more than 50 individuals. And yet there population is still heading downward. Persecuted
and killed for pest control and also hunted which is still going on today. In
Palestine/Israel there is between 15-18 leopards in all the Negev and the Arava