Arabian Leopard

Taxobox
name = Arabian leopard


image_width = 200px
image_caption = Arabian Leopard
status = CR
status_system=iucn3.1
trend = down
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Chordata
classis = Mammalia
ordo = Carnivora
familia = Felidae
genus = "Panthera"
species = "P. pardus"
subspecies = "P. p. nimr"
trinomial = "Panthera pardus nimr"
trinomial_authority = (Hemprich & Ehrenberg, 1833)The Arabian leopard ("Panthera pardus nimr") is a smaller subspecies of leopard than that of its cousins in Asia and Africa. This subspecies is critically endangered and their populations are still declining.

The Arabian leopard lives in Israel, Saudi Arabia, UAE ,Yemen and Oman.

Habitat and behaviour

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 its own range which it violently defends from other leopards of its 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 kg (65 pounds) for the male and around 20 kg (45 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 sub-population more than 50 individuals. And yet their population is still heading downward. Persecuted and killed for pest control and also hunted which is still going on today. In Israel there are between 15-18 leopards in all the Negev andthe Arava.

References

*http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6699039.stm (Leopard in Israel)
*http://www.iucnredlist.org/search/details.php/15958/summ
* http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/animals/features/253feature1.shtml