Leopard , Panther

Title

Leopard , Panther

Description

Very beautiful hand-coloured depiction of a leopard and a panther.

dated 1808

Artist

Kearsley

Historical Description

The leopard, also known as the panther, is a species from the cat family that is widespread in Africa and Asia. It is also found in the Caucasus. The leopard is the fourth largest big cat after the tiger, lion and jaguar. In historical times, the leopard was widespread throughout Africa on both sides of the Sahara and across large parts of Asia. In Africa, it lives in the central rainforests as well as in the mountains, savannahs and semi-deserts from Morocco to the Cape of Good Hope. The leopard only avoids the large, waterless deserts and is therefore naturally absent from the Sahara and the driest regions of the Namib. In Asia, it inhabits the coniferous forests of the Amur as well as the tropics of India and Southeast Asia. In many areas, however, leopards are now extinct. These include Morocco, the Sinai Peninsula and the island of Zanzibar. In other regions, such as the Caucasus and the Amur region, extinction can hardly be prevented. Only a few hundred Persian leopards live in Iran and Turkmenistan, while leopards are also very rare in Pakistan and Bangladesh. In China, leopards exist almost exclusively in isolated remnant populations. In India, however, it is estimated that around 14,000 leopards still live.