Persian Leopard

## About

A Persian leopard.

The Persian leopard ***(Panthera pardus tulliana)*** is a subspecies of the leopard found in parts of the Middle East and central Asia. Persian leopards look similarly to other leopard species however, they appear significantly lighter in colour than other leopard subspecies, being a lighter shade of yellow or white compared to the vibrant yellow of their relatives. Another identifiable characteristic of the Persian leopard is their more cloudy grey irises in comparison to the golden, green or blue irises of other leopard subspecies. The coat of the Persian leopard retains the blotched appearance leopards are famous for, with black rosettes of all shapes and sizes, with darker orange fur on the insides of the rosettes. No two leopards possess the same pattern, and some coats appear more distorted than others. A detail that is particularly noticeable about leopards, are the white spots behind their ears, which are a behavioural adaptation made to mimic eyes in order to defend themselves from ambush attacks. Persian leopards grow 0.6-1.8m (2-6ft) and weigh around 27.2-90.7kg (60-100lbs), making Persian leopards the largest extant leopard subspecies.

## Diet

Persian leopards are carnivorous and specialise in hunting in steep mountainous environments, eating mountainous species such as West Caucasian tur ***(Capra caucasica)***, mouflon sheep ***(Ovis gmelini)*** and caprids such as markhor. Persian leopards may occasionally hunt hare and even porcupines and livestock when desperate.

## Conservation Status

The Persian leopard is classified as endangered by the IUCN despite, not having a profile on the IUCN website. The exact population is unknown but believed to be around less than 1,000 mature individuals currently in the wild. Iran is a hub for population decline, with human housing development branching out to even the most uninhabitable reaches of the country. This extended human development has lead to the progressed hunting of the Persian leopard for trophy purposes. Persian leopards are usually most prolifically hunted for their fur which is sold as expensive pelts, the bones and teeth of the Persian leopard are also used albeit less often in traditional Asian treatments and medicines. The housing and human expansion into the Iranian plateau has lead to a general decrease in the Persian leopard population, with locals killing leopards in fear that they will predate on their livestock.

## Range and Population

Persian leopards occur in eleven countries located in south and central Asia and the Middle East, they are most prominent in Iran. In Iran they occur in forested regions in the north and south. A majorly important region for the Persian leopard is the Elburz and Zagros mountains parallel to each other In the North and South respectively. Central Iran is a less desirable habitat for the leopards, being exempt of forest and instead being a seemingly endless plateau of sand and desert however, there is small fragmented populations inhabiting the deserts despite these conditions. Persian leopards are also suspected to be extant in parts of central Afghanistan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, northern Turkey, southwest Russia and the Baluchistan region of Pakistan. However, this projected range may be an optimistic prediction. Due to the elusive and timid nature of the Persian leopard, the exact population has not been recorded, but likely does not exceed 1,000 mature individuals.

## Behaviour

Persian leopards are a majority nocturnal species, mostly hunting by the cover of night to decrease the visibility of prey animals. However, they are more diurnal when compared to other leopard subspecies. This behavioural adaptation is due to less competition, with Persian leopards living in areas where lions and tigers are no longer extant. Similarly to other big cats, Persian leopards are solitary, only communicating to another leopard during mating, territorial disputes or to their cubs. Territories are typically marked by the evidence of tree scratching, scraping, deification and urine marking. These feature make it obvious to other predators and leopards, that the territory is occupied. Persian leopards are ambush predators, hunting low to the ground and creeping up on their prey. Once they have closed the gap between them and their prey, they will charge at them typically snapping their necks with sheer force. Mating is common place year-round however, it is most abundant during the Winter months. On occasion males will accompany females for a couple of days after mating, but will not aid with parenting.

### Relationship with Humans

Large mammals have continuously gone extinct throughout history in Iran and the Middle East. For example both the Caspian tiger ***(Panthera tigris virgata)*** and the Syrian elephant ***(Elephas maximus asurus)*** have died out completely and the Asiatic lion ***(Panthera leo persica)*** has gone regionally extinct in Iran. Persian leopards prey on livestock, and thus they are targeted by rural farmers, who trap and kill the leopards often. Persian leopards are also illegally hunted by locals for their use in the Chinese traditional medicine market. Leopard paws are often sold in Iran and burnt in ceremonies in order to extinguish bad omens or black magic.

## In Captivity

As Persian leopards are Endangered with a declining population, captive breeding is very common with the species. Zoos worldwide in Europe such as Warsaw Zoo, Poland and Hannover Zoo, Germany, Asia in zoos such as the Biblical Zoological Gardens, Israel and Tblisi Zoo, Georgia. Persian leopards were also once housed in the Melbourne Zoo, Australia. Interestingly no zoos in the leopard's home country Iran, house the species.

## Sources

* Patience, Peace and Persian Leopards | bioGraphic - https://www.biographic.com/patience-peace-and-persian-leopards/
* Persian Leopard | Critterfacts - https://critterfacts.com/persianleopard/
* Persian Leopard | Norden's Ark - https://en.nordensark.se/animals/mammals/persian-leopard/
* Persian Leopard | Scientific American - https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/guest-blog/persian-leopards-large-cats-with-a-small-chance-for-survival/
* Persian Leopard | Eoca Conservation.org - https://www.eocaconservation.org/features-detail.cfm?featureid=21
* The Persian Leopard | Amuraworld - https://amuraworld.com/en/topics/conservancy-report/articles/6738-the-persian-leopard
* Persian Leopard | Animalspot - https://www.animalspot.net/persian-leopard.html
* Iranian Leopard | ZOO INSTITUTES - https://zooinstitutes.com/animals/iranian-leopard-1221/