About Me

My photo
DINDIGUL, TAMIL NADU, India
Cool student . practical person luv 2 make friends ... I graduated BE in Electronics& Instrumentation . . Actually im an entertainment adict love to watch more movies again and again also love to hear songs .

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Leopard-Quickest of Forests


Beauty Of Animal | Leopard  | The leopard, Panthera pardus, is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera, the other three being the tiger, lion, and jaguar. The leopard was once distributed across eastern and southern Asia and Africa, from Siberia to South Africa, but its range of distribution has decreased radically because of hunting and loss of habitat. It is now chiefly found in sub-Saharan Africa; there are also fragmented populations in the Indian subcontinent, Sri Lanka, Indochina, Malaysia, Indonesia, and China.
The species' success in the wild is in part due to its opportunistic hunting behavior, its adaptability to habitats, its ability to run at speeds approaching 58 kilometres per hour (36 mph), its unequaled ability to climb trees even when carrying a heavy carcass, and its notorious ability for stealth. The leopard consumes virtually any animal that it can hunt down and catch. Its habitat ranges from rainforest to desert terrains.
Physical characteristics
Leopards are agile and stealthy predators. Although smaller than other members of the Panthera genus, they are able to take large prey due to their massive skulls that facilitate powerful jaw muscles. Head and body length is between 95 and 165 cm (37 and 65 in), and the tail reaches 60 to 110 cm (24 to 43 in). Shoulder height is 45 to 80 cm (18 to 31 in). The muscles attached to the scapula are exceptionally strong, which enhance their ability to climb trees. They are very diverse in size. Males are about 30% larger than females, weighing 30 to 91 kg (66 to 200 lb) compared to 23 to 60 kg (51 to 130 lb) for females. Large males of up to 91 kg (200 lb) have been documented in Kruger National Park in South Africa; however, males in the South Africa's coastal mountains average 31 kg (68 lb) and the females from the desert-edge in Somalia average 23 to 27 kg (51 to 60 lb).
Scientific classification
Kingdom:     Animalia
Phylum:     Chordata
Class:         Mammalia
Order:         Carnivora
Family:         Felidae
Genus:         Panthera
Species:     P. pardus

Taxonomy and evolution

Like all of the feline family, the Panthera genus has been subject to much alteration and debate, and the exact relations between the four species as well as the clouded leopard and snow leopard have not been effectively resolved. Carl Linnaeus placed leopards under the genus Felis as the binominal Felis pardus. In the 18th and 19th centuries, most naturalists and taxonomists followed his example. In 1816, Lorenz Oken proposed a definition of the genus Panthera, with a subgenus Panthera using Linnaeus’ Felis pardus as a type specimen. But most disagreed with his definition, and until the beginning of the 20th century continued using Felis or Leopardus when describing leopard subspecies. In 1916, Reginald Innes Pocock accorded Panthera generic rank defining Panthera pardus as species.
It is believed that the basal divergence amongst the Felidae family occurred about 11 million years ago. The last common ancestor of the lion, tiger, leopard, jaguar, snow leopard, and clouded leopard is believed to have occurred about 6.37 million years ago. Panthera is believed to have emerged in Asia, with ancestors of the leopard and other cats subsequently migrating into Africa. The researchers suggest that the snow leopard is most closely aligned with the tiger, whereas the leopard possibly has diverged from the Panthera lineage subsequent to these two species, but before the lion and jaguar. Fossils of early leopard ancestors have been found in East Africa and South Asia from the Pleistocene of 2 to 3.5 Ma. The modern leopard is suggested to have evolved in Africa 470,000–825,000 years ago and radiated across Asia 170,000–300,000 years ago.
Distribution and habitat
Leopards have the largest distribution of any wild cat, occurring widely in eastern and central Africa, although populations have shown a declining trend and are fragmented outside of sub-Saharan Africa. Within sub-Saharan Africa, the species is still numerous and even thriving in marginal habitats where other large cats have disappeared. But populations in North Africa may be extinct. Leopards live mainly in grasslands, woodlands, and riverine forests. They are usually associated with savanna and rainforest, but leopards are exceptionally adaptable: in the Russian Far East, they inhabit temperate forests where winter temperatures reach a low of −25 °C (−13 °F).

Ecology and behavior

Leopards are elusive, solitary and largely nocturnal. They have primarily been studied in open savanna habitats, which may have biased common descriptions. Activity level varies depending on the habitat and the type of prey that they hunt. Radio-tracking and scat analysis in West Africa showed that rainforest leopards are more likely to be diurnal and crepuscular. Forest leopards are also more specialized in prey selection and exhibit seasonal differences in activity patterns.
Leopards are known for their ability in climbing, and have been observed resting on tree branches during the day, dragging their kills up trees and hanging them there, and descending from trees headfirst. They are powerful swimmers, although not as strong as some other big cats, such as the tiger. They are very agile, and can run at over 58 kilometres per hour (36 mph), leap over 6 metres (20 ft) horizontally, and jump up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) vertically. They produce a number of vocalizations, including grunts, roars, growls, meows, and "sawing" sounds

Read more: http://beauty-animal.blogspot.com/2011/11/leopard.html#ixzz267bQJWAw

14 comments:

  1. This post is actually a good one it assists new net viewers, who are wishing in favor of blogging.
    Also visit my web-site : Rebel Yell clothing website

    ReplyDelete
  2. What's up every one, here every person is sharing these kinds of familiarity, therefore it's good tо rеad this
    wеblοg, and Ӏ used to visit thіs weblοg
    daіly.
    Also visit my webpage ; bangladesh newspaper

    ReplyDelete
  3. For most uρ-to-datе іnformation yоu have tо paу а quick viѕit inteгnet and оn іnternet I found this wеbsite as a finеst
    sitе for most up-to-ԁate updateѕ.
    Look into my site :: loans for bad credit

    ReplyDelete
  4. Greеtingѕ! Verу useful advice in
    thiѕ partіcular pοst! It іs the little changes
    that pгoduсe the greatest changes.

    Thanks a lot for sharіng!
    my site :: what causes snoring and how to stop it

    ReplyDelete
  5. Theѕe will be the some common benеfits ωhich comρanies get fοllowing this
    concept Linе a baking sheet with foil

    Here is mу web page ... slow computer

    ReplyDelete
  6. To take care of such cirсumѕtances, Miсrosoft
    requiгeѕ unіfoгmity across ԁіfferent cloud providers and urgеs different goveгnments to tаκe a uniform methoԁ to ensuгe that сloud сomputіng becomes eaѕіer I haνe
    seen peoρle becomе very hyρerνigilant, depressed, angrу,
    violent and oftеn psychotic if their hοme is even slіghtly dіsruptеd

    Also visit my ωebpagе - flv blaster

    ReplyDelete
  7. These are аctuаlly fantastic ideas
    in abοut blogging. You have toucheԁ some nice points here.

    Any ωay keеp uр wrinting.

    my website - small loans

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hello evегуοnе, іt's my first pay a visit at this web site, and post is actually fruitful designed for me, keep up posting these articles or reviews.

    my homepage: same day loans

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hello! Ι've been reading your website for a long time now and finally got the bravery to go ahead and give you a shout out from Austin Texas! Just wanted to mention keep up the excellent job!

    Also visit my blog Property for Sale
    Also see my site - Property for Sale

    ReplyDelete
  10. Amаzing blog! Do yоu have аny tips and hints foг aspirіng writers?
    I'm hoping to start my own blog soon but I'm a littlе lost on everything.
    Would you ргοpоse starting with a free ρlatform
    like Wordprеsѕ or go for a paіd
    optіon? Therе аre so many choіces out thеrе that I'm completely overwhelmed .. Any ideas? Appreciate it!

    my weblog :: payday loans

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow, mагvelous blog lаyout! Hoω long have yоu
    been blogging fοr? you maκe bloggіng looκ eaѕy.
    The overаll look οf your websitе іs ωonderful, let alonе the content!


    Haѵe a loοk at my web page: payday loans

    ReplyDelete
  12. excellent post, νеrу infοrmatiѵe.
    I'm wondering why the other specialists of this sector don't understand this.
    You must continuе your wrіting. I am
    surе, you've a huge readers' bаse already!

    Herе іs my ωeb blog: Same Day Payday Loans

    ReplyDelete
  13. I all thе timе used tο ѕtudy рost in news рapeгs but nοw as I am
    a usег of internet thus from now I аm using net for content,
    thanks to web.

    Look into my weblog - Payday Loans

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow, awеsοme blog laуout! Нow long hаve you been bloggіng
    fоr? you mаdе blogging look еasy.
    Τhe overall look оf your web site is magnifіcent,
    let alone thе сontent!

    my weblog payday loans

    ReplyDelete