Barbary Leopard

Taxobox
name = Barbary Leopard
status = CR
status_system = iucn3.1

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regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Carnivora
familia = Felidae
genus = "Panthera"
species = "P. pardus"
subspecies = "P. p. panthera"
trinomial = "Panthera pardus panthera"
trinomial_authority = (Schreber, 1777)
synonyms =

The Barbary Leopard, "Panthera pardus panthera", which inhabits the Atlas Mountains of northwest Africa, closely resembles the familiar African Leopard. It is a stockier creature than the typical "Panthera pardus", with a thicker coat owing to its snowy home. According to some sources, it is adapted in camel-like fashion to the desert and can go almost a month without drinking. Like other leopards, it is an able hunter, capable of bringing down an antelope twice its weight. It will also eat insects and any smaller animals, especially the Barbary Macaque.

It is an endangered subspecies, however, reports vary as to how many remain in captivity and the wild. Estimates can range from total extinction to a dozen in captivity Verify source|date=July 2007 to as many as 250 wild specimens. Last news is that some footprints in Atlas, Morocco, were found by Spanish researchers and therefore confirm the existence of a population. Some expeditions may be on the way to obtain new information about it.

References

* Database entry includes a brief justification of why this subspecies is critically endangered and the criteria used