The Amur leopard is the world's most endangered big cat, with as few as 25 individuals now surviving in the Russian Far East. This population is in grave danger of extinction due to various factors including ongoing development in the region, logging activity, hunters and poachers in the forests, forest fires, inbreeding depression due to low genetic diversity within the remaining leopard population, the potential for disease transmission from domestic animals and environmental disasters.
Many specialists consider the Amur leopard to be the most beautiful of all the leopard species, with its long winter coat the Amur leopard is well adapted to the harsh climate of the Amur-Ussuri region. The hairs of its summer coat are 2.5 cm long, in the winter they grow to 7 cm long. In some ways, it is reminiscent of the Snow leopard. Apart from its long winter coat the Amur leopard is easily told apart from other leopard subspecies by it large rosettes and vibrant color. Its prey animals are mainly hares, roe and sika deer, badgers and raccoon dogs
Amur leopards caught on camera trap
Today, the Amur leopard inhabits about 5,000 km². The last remaining viable wild population, estimated 20-25 individuals, is found in a small area in the Russian Province of Primorsky Krai, between Vladivostok and the Chinese border. In adjacent China, 7-12 scattered individuals are estimated to remain. In South Korea, the last record of an Amur leopard dates back to 1969, when a leopard was captured on the slopes of Odo Mountain, in South Kyongsang Province.
No comments:
Post a Comment