The Asiatic leopard. Disappearing view. Description

The leopard is the representative of the cat family, which admires its attractive, motley color. These predators belong to the genus Panther and are divided into subspecies. The largest representative of this species is the Asiatic leopard, which at this time is under the special attention of wildlife defenders.

Appearance

Like most leopards, this subspecies has characteristic contrast spots scattered all over the trunk, on the back they have a larger diameter. The main color is grayish-buffy, by winter these cats change their shade, becoming more pale color. The spots always remain black-brown. The coat is quite soft and short regardless of the season. The Anterior Asian leopard has a slender, slightly elongated body. At withers, it can grow to 76 cm. The length of the cat's body is on average 170, although there are individuals measuring just 126 cm or, conversely, 183 cm. The females are usually smaller. The tail of the animal is slightly shorter than the body - from 94 to 116 cm. The ears of the predator are round, small in shape. The weight of the cat varies about 60 kilos.

Lifestyle

In general, this predator lives in one locality, not roaming from place to place. He can make small transitions after the booty. Usually, the Asiatic leopard inhabits ungulate habitats. He also tries to avoid snow-covered areas. Active life begins late in the evening and lasts until the morning. If the weather is cool, a predator may appear in the daytime. The hunting style of this beast is "stalking", occasionally it can chase after prey. These felines are not at all squeamish and eat their prey together with guts. They can also eat half-decomposed corpses of animals, and the remains are hidden in bushes or other suitable shelters. The main diet includes wild ungulates. But the beast will not refuse even the porcupine, fox, birds, rabbits, small predators or from rodents. On domestic livestock practically does not attack, only only on extreme necessity in too much snowy, prolonged winters. The nature of the animal is quite cautious. He tries to hide, but if he is wounded to protect himself, he can attack a person.

Where does the leopard inhabit the Asiatic? Photo of the animal shows that it is close to the scattering of stones and rocky terrain. Of course, for life this beast needs a shelter, so it can be found more often in the gorges, within which flow rivers. But also it is found in deciduous forests and can rest on trees.

Kittens

In three years the leopard is ready for reproduction. Gon usually falls in December-January, and in about April there are kittens. The female can bring up to 4 kids, but more often in the litter 2 or 3 cubs. Within three months the young are feeding on milk, then the mother begins to feed them with game. Kittens stay with the female for about a year and a half, after which they leave for "their bread".

Disappearing species

Unfortunately, attractive color became a bait for poachers, who with special greed hunted leopards. Also, the reduction of the species is due to the activity of a person who took away from the animal its habitat, which is why the number of ungulates that the leopard fed was reduced. The third factor of the instantaneous reduction of individuals is intentional destruction, as it has been categorized as an animal that harms the domestic livestock. In most Transcaucasian republics, the Asiatic leopard was subject to extermination year-round, like the wolf. As a result, according to modern estimates, there are only 870 - 1300 animals of this subspecies in the world. Most of all these felines live on freedom in Iran there there are about 550 - 850 heads. They are also found in Afghanistan, but there are not more than 300 of them. A little less lives in Turkmenistan, about a hundred. In Armenia and Azerbaijan, these spotted ones are only ten. In Georgia, Turkey and Nagorno-Karabakh there are 3 to 5 individuals each.

Today, all actions that lead to the extermination of a spotted predator are prohibited not only in Russia, but also in all places of its habitat. The authorities are trying to restore the population of the animal, which is already listed in the Red Book. It is planned that in the territory of Russia in 15 years the population of the animal will be restored, and so the Asiatic leopard will be saved. In the Krasnodar Territory, two males caught in freedom in Turkmenistan and two females from Iran were settled into the national park for this purpose. Virtually all hopes are placed on the offspring of these couples. It is planned to restore the population of this animal in the Caucasus, because before the 20th century this species of leopard inhabited all the mountainous areas of this region.

On coins

Russian Sberbank has minted seven new coins from the series "Let's Save Our World". The money collection featuring the rare animals of the country was supplemented this time by the Asiatic leopard. The coin of this series was shown to the world in 2011. In total, seven "leopards" of various denominations were minted, three of them were made of silver and four of gold.

Description of coins

On the obverse of each denomination there is a traditional image of a two-headed eagle, whose wings "look" down, beneath it there is an inscription "Bank of Russia". Around the frame of the points is recorded the denomination of the coin, the test with the designation of the metal, the year of coinage and the mint mark. The reverse depicts a leopard in various poses and actions. The background is decorated with the outlines of nature. From the bottom, every coin "the front Asian leopard" - 11 has along the edge of the inscription "Let's save our world".