Indian Leopard

Snow Leopard

Indian Leopard. Image Credit: Alex Antal

Clouded Leopard. Image Credit: John Alexander

In the leopard family, India is blessed to be home to three important big cats namely the Indian leopard, Himalayan snow leopard and Clouded leopard. All these three big cats along with the Asiatic Lion and Royal Bengal Tiger are the prime gems of the Indian wildlife. These three big cats have also been declared as threatened species by IUCN due to habitat loss and fragmentation, poaching and illegal selling of skin. Thus, the Indian government along with wildlife enthusiasts haven’t left any stone unturned in order to protect this wonderful animal in India. These majestic cats can be seen prowling across the jungles of the national parks and wildlife sanctuaries of India where they are given proper protection and care.

INDIAN LEOPARD FACTS

Scientific Name	Panthera pardus fusca
Local Name	Tendwa & Chita (Hindi), Karda & Bibalya wagh (Marati), Chirate & Siwamgi (Kannada), Chirutai (Tamil), Puli Poolee (Malayalam)
Status	Nearly threatened
Species	Panthera pardus
Weight	35 – 55 kg
Body Size	125 to 142 cm with tail size of 76 cm to 91 cm.
	Males are larger and heavier than females.
Color	Yellow to yellowish brown or golden with dark spots that fade under the belly and are very prominent on the back and around the lumbs.
Diet	Carnivorous. They feed on rodents, wild boars, birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles, monkeys, deer, impalas, reed-bucks, Thomson's gazelles, jackals, baboons, and storks. It can even hunt dog and canines.
Habitat	Tropical rain forests, dry deciduous forests, temperate forests and northern coniferous forests.
Lifespan	Between 12 to 17 years
Population of Indian Leopard	An estimated 12000-14,000 leopards for all of India, based on 2015 national census. Derived from a figure of 7,910 leopards present in and around tiger forests of 13 states
Found In India	Ranthambore National Park
	Sariska Tiger Reserve
	Jim Corbett National Park
	Bandhavgarh National Park
	Kanha National Park
Conservation Act	Many national parks in India are safe havens for the Indian leopard with armed men guarding them.

HIMALAYAN SNOW LEOPARD

Scientific Name	Panthera uncia
Status	Endangered in IUCN Red List
Species	Panthera uncia
Weight	27 – 55 kg with large male reaching 75 kg
Body Size	75 to 150 cm with tail size of 80 cm to 100 cm.
	Males are larger and heavier than females.
Color	Their thick fur is snowy gray with yellowish tan and white underparts. The stocky body is covered with big black or dark brown rosettes and the head is covered with similar spots.
Diet	Carnivorous. They are opportunistic hunters and feed on bharal, Himalayan tahr, markhor, argali, horse, and camel, hares, ibex, birds, red panda, wild boars, langur monkeys, rodents, marmots, deer and gorals.
Habitat	The Indian Himalayas in the states of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh. In summer they live above the tree line and in winter they travel down to forests and meadows.
Total Area of Habitat	75,000 square kms
Lifespan	Between 15 to 18 years
Population of Himalayan Snow Leopard	200 to 600
Mating Season	Between January and mid – March.
Found In India	Hemis National Park, Ladakh
	Rumbak Valley of Ladakh
	Spiti Valley of Himachal Pradesh
Conservation Act	Project Snow leopard was launched in 2009 with the aim of facilitating focused conservation and recovery programmes for this endangered species. Conservation education programmes are also being held in various parts of Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh in order to bring awareness of the importance of snow leopard in Indian eco system.

CLOUDED LEOPARD

Scientific Name	Neofelis nebulosa
Status	Nearly threatened
Species	N.Nebulosa
Weight	11 – 23 kg. relatively thicker tail
Body Size	55 to 110 cm.
Color	Earth Brown in color and they have cloud markings all over the body.
Diet	Carnivorous and an excellent climber. They feed on deer, goats, wild pigs, reptiles, birds, monkeys, squirrels and wild boar. It mainly haunts at night.
Habitat	Tropical forests, grass, shrublands in the foothills of the mountains.
Lifespan	Between 11 to 17 years
Found In India	Manas National Park, Assam
	Namdapha National Park, Arunachal Pradesh
	Phawngpui National Park, Mizoram
	Dibru – Saikhowa National Park, Assam
	Buxa National Park, West Bengal
	Sipahijola Wildlife Sanctuary, Tripura
Conservation Act	Many national parks in India are safe havens for the Indian leopard with armed men guarding them.