Amur Leopard
Together with many wild animals of the world today, the Amur leopard is facing the likelihood of extinction. Their threat is not by means of natural selection or a changing world but by man who has deliberately or unknowingly depleted their habitat and community. Only mans' intervention and realization of the problem can hope to save these animals (Garman 1996). According to Kutscherenko (1995) the wild population of the Amur leopard has dwindled to an estimated 120 to 140 leopards, 30 of which were counted in Russia.
Distribution/Range
The Amur Leopard used to range widely throughout Korea, Manchuria and the Primorskaya Oblast of the USSR but today due to the carelessness of hunters and the destruction of their habitat and the limited selection of prey they are now reduced to reside in remote areas near the China-Russia border and parts of North Korea (Vandermey 1996). If we were to lump all the subspecies together, the Amur leopard, with the exception of humans is one of the most successful naturally occurring land mammals in the Eastern Hemisphere. In the Eastern Hemisphere the Amur leopard is the king of adaptation, but in the taiga, or boreal forests of Russia, the Amur leopard seems to be most impressive. It is there that the leopard takes on characteristics that are similar to its cousin the Snow leopard, the Amur leopard has long fur and his behavior patterns assist in the conserving of energy and precious heat to sustain the harsh winter conditions (Quigley 1995). The Amur leopard can adapt to almost any habitat that provides sufficient food and cover, for example in the lowlands forests he may make a home in a bush, caves or ledges on mountains, a thicket in the grasslands, brush country and deserts under he may seek shelter in a rock formation (Anonymous B).
Physical Description The Amur leopard is usually recognized by its rosette patterned coat and his extremely long dark tail. This cat is sometimes confused with the South
Distribution/Range
The Amur Leopard used to range widely throughout Korea, Manchuria and the Primorskaya Oblast of the USSR but today due to the carelessness of hunters and the destruction of their habitat and the limited selection of prey they are now reduced to reside in remote areas near the China-Russia border and parts of North Korea (Vandermey 1996). If we were to lump all the subspecies together, the Amur leopard, with the exception of humans is one of the most successful naturally occurring land mammals in the Eastern Hemisphere. In the Eastern Hemisphere the Amur leopard is the king of adaptation, but in the taiga, or boreal forests of Russia, the Amur leopard seems to be most impressive. It is there that the leopard takes on characteristics that are similar to its cousin the Snow leopard, the Amur leopard has long fur and his behavior patterns assist in the conserving of energy and precious heat to sustain the harsh winter conditions (Quigley 1995). The Amur leopard can adapt to almost any habitat that provides sufficient food and cover, for example in the lowlands forests he may make a home in a bush, caves or ledges on mountains, a thicket in the grasslands, brush country and deserts under he may seek shelter in a rock formation (Anonymous B).
Physical Description The Amur leopard is usually recognized by its rosette patterned coat and his extremely long dark tail. This cat is sometimes confused with the South
Cited: Anonymous A. 1996. "Amur Leopard EEP (Panthera pardus orintalis)-Proposal on the Situation of the Amurian Leopard." Augsburg Zoo. Anonymous B Anonymous C. 1996. "Panthera pardus." The Cyber Zoobile. Bertram, B Garman, A. 1996. "Leopard: Conservation Matters." Big Cats On Line. Loxton, H Quigley, H. and M. Hornocker. 1995. "On the Trail of Leopards." International Wildlife. May-June 1995: 38 - 43. Schaller, G Vandermey, N. 1996. "Feline Species - Amur Leopard" Species Information. "Leopard"