Amur Leopard
An endangered solitary hunter
Habitat: temperate forests
Location: Russian Far East and Northern China
Population: Fewer than 50 individuals
This video footage from an Amur leopard survey revealed a total of 12 leopards in Russia’s Primorsky Province, located between the Sea of Japan and the Chinese border.
The 2011 numbers are considered record-breaking compared to the past 5 years where only 7 to 9 leopards were identified each year.
The positive results point to a population increase of up to 50% in the targeted region and can be attributed to:
- long term efforts made to support leopard conservation, including this annual survey conducted by WWF and partners
- improvements made to the management of the Kedrovaya Pad Reserve and Leopardovy Federal Wildlife Refuge, both primary habitat for Amur leopards
Amur leopards are nocturnal and solitary. They hide unfinished kills so that the prey is not taken by other predators.
Background
Most leopards are rarely found in cold or high-elevation environments, but instead live in the savannas of Africa where populations are relatively stable.
However, the Amur leopard, a rare leopard subspecies, lives in the temperate forests and harsh winters of the Russian Far East. They are threatened by:
- unsustainable logging
- forest fires
- land conversion for farming
- poaching for the illegal trade of their unique spotted coats
To protect the Amur leopard WWF works to:
- Support anti-poaching activities in wildlife refuges and all Amur leopard habitat in the Russian Far East
- Implement programs to stop the illegal trade in Amur leopard parts
- Increase the population of hooved species leopards hunt as prey (roe deer, sika deer and small wild boar)
Physical description
The Amur leopard has a summer pelt of 1 inch thick fur that is replaced in the winter by 3 inch thick fur to provide warmth. Its coat is covered with widely spaced circles with thick borders and its long legs, used to walk in the snow, distinguish it from other leopard species.
Adult males weigh between 70 and 105 pounds and adult females weigh between 55 and 95 pounds. Amur leopards have been reported using their long legs to leap more than 19 feet horizontally and more than 9 feet vertically.
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