Leopard Facts
The leopard is a big cat, a mammal of Africa and Asia with pale yellow to dark golden fur covered in dark rosette spots.
- Class
- Mammal
- Scientific name
- Panthera pardus
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (IUCN)
About the leopard
It is slender and muscular, 92 to 183 cm long with a tail of 66 to 102 cm. Males weigh 30.9 to 72 kg and females 20.5 to 43 kg. Eight subspecies are recognized. Leopards first appeared in Africa in the Early Pleistocene, later spread into Eurasia and once lived across Europe before vanishing there long ago.
Habitats run from rainforest to steppe, including dry and mountain areas. Leopards hunt whatever is available, mostly hoofed animals and primates, using their spots as camouflage to stalk and ambush, and sometimes drag a kill up a tree. They live alone except when mating or raising young. A female has 2 to 4 cubs every 15 to 24 months, and both sexes mature at 2 to 2.5 years.
Did you know?
- The leopard was first scientifically described in 1758.
- The leopard is one of five living cat species in the genus Panthera.
- Leopards had cultural roles in Ancient Greece and West Africa.
Questions about the leopard
Are leopards endangered?
The IUCN lists the leopard as Vulnerable, with habitat loss and fragmentation driving declines.
What do leopards eat?
Mostly hoofed mammals and primates, which they stalk and ambush.
Sources
- Wikidata Q34706, checked October 8, 2026
- Wikipedia: Leopard, checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.