Persian leopard
| Persian leopard | ||||||||||||
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Persian leopard in Hanover Zoo |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Panthera pardus saxicolor | ||||||||||||
| Pocock , 1927 |
The Persian leopard ( Panthera pardus saxicolor = ciscaucasica ), also known as the North Persian leopard or Caucasian leopard , is a subspecies of the leopard that is predominantly found in the Near East . The core distribution area is in today's Iran . The Persian leopard still occurs in individual individuals in the Greater Caucasus and is thus the only recent large cat in Europe. Due to the disputed taxonomic conditions, it is not entirely clear which populations belong to this subspecies. It is considered certain that all leopards from the Caucasus , eastern Turkey , northern Iran and those from Turkmenistan belong to this subspecies. However, it is unclear whether the leopards of southern Iran, as well as those in Afghanistan and Baluchistan, also belong to this or another subspecies ( P. p. Sindica ). The position of the leopards in neighboring Kashmir is also unclear . Any remaining stocks in western Turkey could also belong to a separate subspecies ( P. p. Tulliana ). The Persian leopard is endangered with a total population of 870 to 1300 animals.
features
The Persian leopard is particularly brightly colored and has relatively large spots. It is one of the largest subspecies. The total length of two large animals from Northern Iran was 213 and 212 cm, respectively. Their weight was 86 and 66 kg, respectively. The largest known skull found in Golestan National Park was 288 mm in length.
Taxonomy
The systematic position of the Persian leopard has not yet been fully clarified. In particular, it is questionable which populations between Asia Minor and Kashmir belong to this subspecies. It is clear that the Persian leopards differ genetically and externally from the Arab leopard ( P. p. Nimr ) on the one hand and the Indian leopard ( P. p. Fusca ) on the other. Seven subspecies ( tulliana , ciscaucasica , saxicolor , sindica , millardi , dathei , transcaucasica ) were originally described in the area in question . According to genetic studies, which are based on a few individuals, they can all be assigned to a subspecies. In contrast, morphological analyzes indicate that only the forms ciscaucasica , saxicolor and transcaucasica are to be included in the Persian leopard. The scientific name Panthera pardus ciscaucasica would have priority as the oldest name. The West Anatolian leopard ( P. p. Tulliana ) on the one hand and the Baluchstian leopard ( P. p. Sindica ) on the other hand, seem to form their own subspecies. According to these analyzes, the latter also includes the Central Persian form ( dathei ) and probably the Kashmiri leopard ( millardi ). However, this is not confirmed. Even if the Baluchistan leopard is recognized as a separate subspecies, the course of the border between this form and the North Persian leopard remains unclear. If the West Anatolian leopard ( P. p. Tulliana ) were to be counted as part of the Persian leopard, this name would have priority as the oldest scientific name. Also because of these uncertainties, the IUCN , for example, is keeping the traditional name saxicolor for the time being .
The leopards in the north of Iran are said to be mostly large, pale colored animals, while in the south rather dark colored, somewhat smaller specimens are said to occur. However, recent studies have not found any noticeable differences in the fur pattern between North Persian and South Persian leopards.
Existence and distribution
Overall, the wild population of adult Persian leopards is estimated to be less than 870-1,300 specimens. The inventory numbers are also falling. The subspecies is therefore by the IUCN as endangered ( Endangered ) classified.
Iran is the heartland of the spread. Here the leopard is still widespread. It is also comparatively common in the northern and north-western parts of the country. In the south and southeast, however, it is generally rare. He still inhabits about 885,300 km² in Iran, which corresponds to half of the country's area. However, the population density is very low on average. The population in Iran is declining and is estimated according to rough estimates at 550–850 animals. Just over half of them occur in protected areas. The most important leopard sanctuaries in Iran are the Golestan National Park (40–45 animals), the Tandoreh National Park (12–18 animals) and the Bamu National Park (15–20 animals). In general, however, there is a tendency to overestimate the population figures. The prey animals in Iran have become increasingly rare, which forces the leopards to roam large hunting grounds. In practice, this can easily lead to multiple counts. The fragmentation of stocks is a major threat. Only a few populations are still considered viable. In Turkmenistan there are likely to be around 80 to 90 animals, in Afghanistan the populations are estimated at 200 to 300 animals.
In the Caucasus region , leopards are only found in a few, isolated relic populations, each with a few individual individuals. The largest sub-population of the region lives in northwestern Iran and consists of about 25 animals. Important core occurrences are here in the Talysh Mountains , where in addition to the Iranian occurrences there are also about 3–5 animals on the Azerbaijani side . The same number are accepted for the Iori - Mingechaur area in the border area between Azerbaijan and Georgia . A somewhat larger sub-population of 7-15 leopards inhabits the Zangezur and Meghri Mountains in Armenia and Azerbaijan. In the Greater Caucasus , around 10–15 leopards can still be found in Dagestan , Ingushetia , North Ossetia and probably Chechnya . The status in eastern Turkey is unknown. In 2013, an animal was shot dead near Diyarbakır . It is also unclear whether the leopard still occurs in western Turkey. Poaching appears to be a major problem in southeastern Armenia. The leopard populations here are apparently well below the potential populations that could occur there, given the prey.
In 2016, three Persian leopards were released for the first time in the Russian Greater Caucasus in the area of the Sochier National Park . This happened in the course of a large-scale reintroduction project that is currently taking place during the 2014 Winter Olympics with the support of WWF and Vladimir Putin . For this purpose, leopards are bred in large outdoor enclosures and prepared for release into the wild.
| country | Stock size |
|---|---|
| Afghanistan | 200-300? |
| Azerbaijan | <10-13 |
| Armenia | <10-13 |
| Nagorno-Karabakh | <5 |
| Georgia | <5 |
| Iran | 550-850 (2002) |
| Pakistan | ? |
| Russia | 10-15 |
| Turkmenistan | 80-90 |
| Turkey | ? |
The greatest threats are the declining prey populations, habitat changes and the stalking of the leopard, which is mainly pursued as a killer of livestock. However, the exact impact and scope of these threats are difficult to determine.
habitat
The Persian leopard, like all subspecies of the leopard, is very adaptable. It occurs in forests, grass steppes and semi-deserts, but the largest population of the Persian leopard can be found in the grass steppes at the foot of the Elburs Mountains . Originally, he lived in almost all of Iran's habitats with the exception of the open plains and areas used intensively for agriculture.
prey
The most important prey animals in Iran are bezoar goats ( Capra aegagrus ), wild boars , wild sheep ( Ovis spp.), Goiter gazelles ( Gazella subguttorosa ), red deer ( Cervus elaphus ), roe deer ( Capreolus capreolus ), Indian porcupines ( Hystrix indica ), Pikas ( Oviscensona rufeschotona) ) as well as farm animals and dogs . In the area of the Golestan National Park in northeastern Iran, leopards feed primarily on steppe wild sheep and wild boars, probably also on wild goats . The natural prey is apparently supplemented by domestic animals . In the southeast of Armenia they feed mainly on bezoar goats, wild boars, deer and Indian porcupines.
Keeping in human care
Today the Persian leopard is kept in numerous European zoos and bred regularly. All founding animals from Iran were caught in the Elburs Mountains , Kopet-Dagh and Ala-Dagh Mountains between 1955 and 1967 .
In 2014, the Nordhorn Zoo (Lower Saxony) succeeded in artificial insemination in a North Persian leopard for the first time. With the help of specialists from the Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) in Berlin, this project has been planned since 2010; a first attempt failed. Then on August 3rd two boys were born.
Cultural history
The leopard has always been a common animal in Persia and influenced the culture of the Middle East . There are several places in Iran that have the Persian name Palang-Kuh (German: "Leopard Mountain").
Web links
- Species profile Persian leopard; IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group in English
- Profile of Panthera pardus saxicolor on Arkive
- Panthera pardus ssp. saxicolor inthe IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011.2. Posted by: Khorozyan, I., 2008. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
- zootierliste.de- Overview of the keeping of the Persian leopard in zoos
- Spektrum .de: Last Hope for the Persian Leopard April 6, 2019
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e Bahram H. Kiabi, Bijan F. Dareshouri, Ramazan Ali Ghaemi, and Mehran Jahanshahi (2002): Population status of the Persian Leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor Pocock, 1927) in Iran . Zoology in the Middle East 26: 41-47. PDF
- ↑ a b c d e f Panthera pardus ssp. saxicolor in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2011.2. Posted by: Khorozyan, I., 2008. Retrieved May 6, 2012.
- ↑ a b Uphyrkina, O., Johnson, WE, Quigley, HB, Miquelle, DG, Marker, L., Bush, ME, O'Brien, SJ: Phylogenetics, genome diversity and origin of modern leopard, Panthera pardus (PDF- File; 578 kB) In: Molecular Ecology. Volume 10, No. 11, November 2001, p. 2617 PDF PDF
- ↑ Igor G. Khorozyan, Gennady F. Baryshnikov & Alexei V. Abramov (2006): Taxonomic status of the leopard, Panthera pardus (Carnivora, Felidae) in the Cuacasus and Adjacent areas. Russian J. Theriol. 5 (1): 41-52
- ↑ a b c d Igor Khorozyan: Research and Conservation of the Persian Leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor) in Bamu National Park, Faris Province, Iran. Yerevan, May 2008.
- ↑ Species portrait: Caucasian leopard (Panthera pardus saxicolor). (PDF) WWF Germany , January 2007, accessed on April 29, 2016 .
- ↑ Spiegel Online Turkey: Shepherds shoot rare leopards , November 2013 [1]
- ↑ a b Igor G. Khorozyan, Alexander G. Malkhasyan and Alexei V. Abramov (2008): Presence – absence surveys of prey and their use in predicting leopard (Panthera pardus) densities: a case study from Armenia. Integrative zoology; 3: 322-332
- ↑ Protection of the leopard in the southern Caucasus. Retrieved April 19, 2020 .
- ↑ Vladimir Putin's 'extinct' leopards reintroduced to Russia's Black Sea mountains The Telegraph . Press release from July 15, 2016
- ↑ Mohammad S. Farhadinia, Bagher Nezami, Fatemeh Hosseini-Zavarei and Mousa Valizadeh: Persistence of Persian leopard in a buffer habitat in northeastern Iran. CATnews 51 Autumn 2009
- ↑ GN-online from August 29, 2014, accessed on May 17, 2015