This one is a jumper! The Amur leopard has been seen jumping up over 10 feet in the air and 20 feet in the long jump!

Amur leopards may go 10-12 days without food.

Amur leopards don’t roar, instead they make a noise that sounds like someone is sawing a piece of wood.

Amur Leopard

Panthera pardus orientalis

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Considered to be one of the big cats, the Amur leopard’s coat is pale cream (especially in the winter) and has widely spaced spots with thick, black rings and darkened centers. The length of their coat varies between one inch in the summer and three inches in the winter. The males weigh 70-110 pounds with some weighing as much as 170 pounds. Female Amur leopards are smaller, weighing between 55-90 pounds. Their legs are longer than those of other leopards: over time, the legs of the Amur leopard have adapted to walk through the snow more easily.

HABITAT

Historically, the Amur leopard's range extended in the forest land from northeastern ("Manchurian") China to the southern part of Primorsky Krai in Russia to the Korean Peninsula. Because of deforestation and other man-made conditions, the Amur leopard’s range is now a small triangular area of about 5,000 square kilometers west of Vladivosotk, Russia, on the China borders.

DIET IN THE WILD

They eat small animals and also feed on the remains of larger animals. Their main prey includes roe, musk and sika deer, hares and badgers.

BEHAVIOR

Amur leopards are lone hunters and eaters, and will also hide food to eat later. They are nocturnal (sleep during the day), and are excellent swimmers and good climbers, often coming down tree trunks head first. An Amur leopard can sprint for shorts bursts of time at as much as 37 miles per hour.

STATUS IN THE WILD / CONSERVATION EFFORTS

They are critically endangered, and under strict observation. In a 2007 report, only 35 were known to exist in the wild. There are about 200 in zoos world-wide.
Over the last decade, a collection of international non-governmental organizations have pooled their resources to create ALTA, the Amur Leopard and Tiger Alliance. ALTA members are developing, financing and implementing multi-year conservation projects in Russia and China. Zoos around the globe are currently working together to create a program for re-introducing leopards back into the wild.

LIFE SPAN

They can live between 10-15 years in the wild and up to 20 years in captivity.