Leopard
The leopard (Panthera pardus) is one of the four 'big cats' of the genus Panthera. Originally, it was thought that a leopard was a hybrid between a lion and a panther, and the leopard's common name derives from this belief; leo is the Greek and Latin word for lion (Greek leon, λέων) and pard is an old term meaning panther. In fact, a "panther" can be any of several species of large felid. In North America, panther means puma and in South America a panther is a jaguar. Elsewhere in the world a panther is a leopard. Early naturalists distinguished between leopards and panthers not by colour (a common misconception), but by the length of the tail - panthers having longer tails than leopard is the fourth largest of the "big cats" in the world with the jaguar, lion and tiger being larger and the fifth largest of all cats with Pumas being slightly larger. Leopards range in size from one to just over two metres ( ft) long, and generally weigh between 30 and 70 kg (65–155 lb). Some males may grow over 90 kg (200 lb). Females are typically around two-thirds the size of males. For its size, the leopard is the most powerful feline in the world next to the jaguar. Leopards tend to be the apex predator in areas where bigger competitors do not occur, especially lions and tigers. This explains why the leopards in areas such as the African rainforests or Sri Lanka are larger than leopards elsewhere.
Size: 5400px × 3600px
Location: Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, Illinois USA
Photo credit: © Plamen Stanev / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
Model Released: No
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