---
title: "What the sources say about the Leopard | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "53 claims from the Leopard profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/leopard-1.webp"
canonical: "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/leopard/sources/"
---

# What the sources say about the Leopard (*Panthera pardus*)

> 53 claims from the Leopard profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Leopard](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/leopard/)

## Leopard. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/leopard

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A 21 to 75 kg big cat | Females weigh 46 to 132 pounds (21 to 60 kilograms); males weigh 80 to 165 pounds (36 to 75 kilograms) (note: tagline; 21 kg lowest female, 75 kg highest male) |
| climbs up to 15 m into a tree carrying its kill | climb as high as 50 feet (15 meters) up a favorite tree while holding a fresh kill in its mouth (note: tagline) |
| out of reach of lions and hyenas | They stash food up high so other predators such as lions or hyenas can’t get it. (note: tagline) |
| Monkeys, baboons, rodents, snakes, large birds, fish, antelope and warthogs | monkeys, baboons, rodents, snakes, amphibians, large birds, fish, antelope, cheetah cubs, warthogs, and porcupines (note: stats.diet) |
| Carries a fresh kill up to 15 m (50 ft) up a tree, even one heavier than itself | climb as high as 50 feet (15 meters) up a favorite tree while holding a fresh kill in its mouth, even one larger and heavier than themselves (note: stats.superpower) |
| to keep it from lions and hyenas | They stash food up high so other predators such as lions or hyenas can’t get it. (note: stats.superpower) |
| A leopard can climb as high as 15 meters (50 feet) up a favorite tree while holding a fresh kill in its mouth. The kill can even be larger and heavier than the cat. | climb as high as 50 feet (15 meters) up a favorite tree while holding a fresh kill in its mouth, even one larger and heavier than themselves |
| One leopard was seen dragging a 100 kilogram young giraffe into thick brush to hide it. | One leopard was spotted dragging a 220-pound (100 kilograms) young giraffe into heavy brush to hide it. |
| Leopards are not always at the top of the food chain. In Africa, lions and packs of hyenas or painted dogs can kill leopards, and in Asia a tiger can do the same. | leopards are not always at the top of the food chain. In Africa, lions and packs of hyenas or painted dogs can kill leopards; in Asia, a tiger can do the same. |
| Meat stashed up high is out of reach of lions and hyenas, so the leopard can return to eat more later. | They stash food up high so other predators such as lions or hyenas can’t get it. This way, leopards can return to eat more at a later time. |
| Of the large cats, leopards are the most arboreal, meaning tree-living, and their long tails help them balance on narrow branches. | Of the large cats, leopards are the most arboreal; they have long tails to help them to balance on narrow tree branches. |
| Leopards are the smallest of the large cats, a group that also includes lions, tigers and jaguars. | Leopards are the smallest of the large cats (to include lions, tigers, and jaguars) |
| Their length runs from 92 to 190 centimeters (3 to 6.2 feet) | Length: 3 to 6.2 feet (92 to 190 centimeters) |
| the tail measures 64 to 99 centimeters | Tail length: 25 to 39 inches (64 to 99 centimeters) |
| Females weigh 21 to 60 kilograms and males 36 to 75 kilograms. | Females weigh 46 to 132 pounds (21 to 60 kilograms); males weigh 80 to 165 pounds (36 to 75 kilograms) |
| In human care, median life expectancy is about 18 years. | For leopards in human care, median life expectancy is about 18 years. |
| Leopards can run in bursts up to 58 kilometers per hour, leap 6 meters forward in a single bound and jump 3 meters straight up. | able to run in bursts up to 36 miles an hour (58 kilometers per hour), leap 20 feet (6 meters) forward in a single bound, and jump ten feet (3 meters) straight up |
| A leopard's back is covered in flower-shaped spots called rosettes, and each rosette has no dot in the center. A jaguar has a dot inside each of its rosettes. | covered with flower-shaped spots on their backs called rosettes, with no dot in the center; the jaguar has a dot inside each of its rosettes |
| Leopards are usually nocturnal, resting by day and hunting at night. | Leopards are usually nocturnal, resting by day and hunting at night. |
| Their spots break up the body outline in forests and grasslands. | This profusion of spots helps leopards hide from their prey, breaking up their body outline in forests or grasslands. |
| In the thick, dark rainforests of Southeast Asia, some leopards are nearly black, though the spotted pattern shows in certain light. | In the thick, dark rainforests of Southeast Asia, leopards that are nearly black can sometimes be found; these cats may look solid black at first glance, but their spotted pattern is visible in certain light. |
| A leopard stalks and pounces rather than chasing prey over long distances, and it often slinks along on its belly. | The big cat stalks and pounces rather than chases its prey over long distances. |
| often slinks along on its belly | often slinking along on the belly |
| It hunts with vision, keen hearing and whiskers rather than smell. | The cat uses its vision, keen hearing, and whiskers, rather than its sense of smell, while hunting. |
| It can hear five times more sounds than a human, even the ultrasonic squeaks of mice | Leopards can hear five times more sounds than humans, even the ultrasonic squeaks made by mice. |
| Prey is killed with a bite to the throat. | Prey is killed with a bite to the throat. |
| The menu includes monkeys, baboons, rodents, snakes, large birds, fish, antelope and warthogs. | monkeys, baboons, rodents, snakes, amphibians, large birds, fish, antelope, cheetah cubs, warthogs, and porcupines |
| Rarely. A leopard's voice is more of a raspy bark. | Leopards rarely roar; their voice is more of a raspy bark. |
| White spots on the tip of the tail and the back of the ears help leopards find each other in tall grass. | White spots on the tip of the tail and back of the ears help leopards locate and communicate with each other in tall grass. |
| Outside breeding season they live alone and mark territory with urine, face rubbing, ground scraping and clawed tree bark. | Except during breeding season, leopards lead a solitary life, marking their territory with urine, rubbing the face against rocks or tree trunks, scraping at the ground or rolling on it, and by shredding tree bark with their claws. |
| A litter is usually two or three cubs | Number of young at birth: 1 to 6; usually 2 to 3 per litter |
| Gestation, the time spent in the womb, lasts 3 to 3.5 months | Gestation: 3 to 3.5 months |
| each cub weighs 500 to 600 grams at birth | Weight at birth: 17 to 21 ounces (500 to 600 grams) |
| with sealed eyes | The cubs are born with little hair and their eyes are sealed. |
| At about three months they start going out with their mother to learn hunting | At about three months of age, the cubs venture out with their mother to learn hunting skills. |
| young leopards are usually ready to head out on their own between 12 and 18 months old | Young leopards are usually ready to head out on their own between 12 and 18 months |
| A leopard stalks and pounces rather than chasing prey over long distances | The big cat stalks and pounces rather than chases its prey over long distances. (note: vibe.reason; same quote as the body claim) |
| it often slinks along on its belly | often slinking along on the belly (note: vibe.reason; same quote as the body claim) |

## Panthera pardus (leopard). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Panthera_pardus/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Leopards also get much of the water they need from their prey. | obtain much of their water requirements from ingested prey |
| the Amur leopard of the Russian Far East and north-eastern China | Panthera pardus orientalis , far east Russia, on the Korean peninsula and in north-eastern China (note: orientalis is the Amur leopard; ADW's range also names the Korean peninsula, left out to match the amur-leopard profile's current range) |
| Black panthers are leopards that carry recessive melanistic genes | Black panthers, which are most populous in humid forests, are leopards with recessive melanistic genes. |
| They are most common in humid forests. | Black panthers, which are most populous in humid forests, are leopards with recessive melanistic genes. |
| dangerLevel: Deadly | Injured or sickly leopards have been known to hunt humans as easy prey. (note: #981: tiers are capabilities (#631); an animal that hunts people as prey can kill one) |

## Jacobson et al. (2016). Leopard (Panthera pardus) status, distribution, and the research efforts across its range. PeerJ.

https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1974

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Tropical forests, grassland plains, deserts and alpine areas across much of Africa and Asia | extending across much of Africa, and Asia from the Middle East to the Pacific Ocean (note: stats.habitat) |
| Tropical forests, grassland plains, deserts and alpine areas | Found in tropical forests, grassland plains, deserts, and alpine areas (note: stats.habitat) |
| The leopard is the most widespread felid, found across much of Africa and across Asia from the Middle East to the Pacific Ocean. | It is also the most widespread felid, extending across much of Africa, and Asia from the Middle East to the Pacific Ocean |
| It lives in tropical forests, grassland plains, deserts and alpine areas. | Found in tropical forests, grassland plains, deserts, and alpine areas |
| That study recognized nine subspecies | Of the nine recognized subspecies |
| a 2016 study of its range found that the leopard occupied 25 to 37 percent of its historic range | The leopard now occupies 25–37% of its historic range |
| a range loss of 63 to 75 percent | The leopard has suffered range loss of 63–75% |

## Stein et al. (2025). Panthera pardus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2025: e.T15954A286153337.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2025-2.rlts.t15954a286153337.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Vulnerable | IUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU). (note: stats.conservationStatus) |
| The IUCN Red List rates the species Vulnerable. | IUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU). |

## Parchizadeh & Belant (2021). Brown bear and Persian leopard attacks on humans in Iran. PLOS ONE.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255042

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| dangerLevel: Deadly | leopard incidents resulted in 97% ( n = 30) injuries and 3% ( n = 1) fatalities (note: #981: Persian leopard is Panthera pardus; a recorded fatality. Same quote the amur-leopard's Deadly tier rests on) |