ianmichaelthomas
Persian Leopard
Another beautiful, but critically endangered big cat - this time a Persian leopard.
The Persian leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor), or Iranian leopard, is one of the leopard subspecies native to western Asia. It is endangered throughout its range in the Middle East.
The Persian leopard is one of the largest of all the subspecies of leopards in the world. It can grow to up to 1.5 to 2.7 feet tall at the shoulder, and weigh as much as 155 lbs. Before 1990, when Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, and Turkmenistan were the Soviet republics, the scientific names of the leopard used in these countries were P.p. tulliana and P.p. ciscaucasica, whereas the name P.p. saxicolor had been traditionally used by the western specialists for the cats in Iran and, partially, Afghanistan. There are currently a few hundred left in the world.
A leopard's diet varies depending on where it thrives. The Persian leopard's diet varies from small mammals and birds, to larger animals such as, deer, antelope, Bezoar ibex, and occasionally wild boar.
This cat is a very old one - and blind in one eye - in fact its missing entirely.
Royal Melbourne Zoo, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
Persian Leopard
Another beautiful, but critically endangered big cat - this time a Persian leopard.
The Persian leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor), or Iranian leopard, is one of the leopard subspecies native to western Asia. It is endangered throughout its range in the Middle East.
The Persian leopard is one of the largest of all the subspecies of leopards in the world. It can grow to up to 1.5 to 2.7 feet tall at the shoulder, and weigh as much as 155 lbs. Before 1990, when Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, and Turkmenistan were the Soviet republics, the scientific names of the leopard used in these countries were P.p. tulliana and P.p. ciscaucasica, whereas the name P.p. saxicolor had been traditionally used by the western specialists for the cats in Iran and, partially, Afghanistan. There are currently a few hundred left in the world.
A leopard's diet varies depending on where it thrives. The Persian leopard's diet varies from small mammals and birds, to larger animals such as, deer, antelope, Bezoar ibex, and occasionally wild boar.
This cat is a very old one - and blind in one eye - in fact its missing entirely.
Royal Melbourne Zoo, Parkville, Victoria, Australia