Arabian leopard (Panthera pardus nimr) is a smaller subspecies of leopard than that of its cousins in Asia and Africa. It is a critically endangered and their population trend is still declining. The Arabian leopard lives in Israel, UAE, Yemen and Oman.
Habitat & Behavior
They are not leopards of the open desert and bush, but instead live in the high mountains of Arabia. It preys on mountain goats, foxes, and other mountain-dwelling animals. Each adult leopard has their own range that they violently defend from other leopards of their own sex. The male’s range might overlap that of several other females. Inside these ranges, the leopards hunt, mate, and raise young. In this dry terrain they require large territories in order to find enough food, which means that even at the best of times there have never been many leopards in this area.
Anatomy
Very light in color, the deep golden yellow between the black rosettes is only present on the animal’s back. The rest of the body is beige to grayish-white. At about 66.14 lb (30 kg) for the male and around 44.1 lb (20 kg) for the female, the Arabian leopard is much smaller than most of the African and Asian races.
Diet and Hunting
As many of their natural prey species such as the tahr and the mountain gazelle are virtually extinct, Arabian leopards often have to turn to domestic stock, mainly goats, for food bringing them into direct conflict with man. They also prey on foxes, or any other small mammal or bird. They will also readily eat carrion. These secretive animals hunt mainly around dawn and dusk but stay active throughout the night. They spend the hot hours of the day in a shady place that has an unobstructed view.
Population
This subspecies of leopard is critically endangered.
Comments