Leopard (Oceania)

Scientific Name: Panthera pardus

Subspecies: A total of 10 subspecies have been described, 3 of which occur in this region: 1. Panthera p. fusca: India, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and southwest China. 2. Panthera p. delacouri: Vietnam, Laos, Kampuchea, Thailand and Malaysia. 3. Panthera p. melas: Java and the Kangean Islands.

Habitat: From dense forest to open, dry regions. Occur at very high altitudes.

Description: Large cat weighing up to 90 kg and measuring up to 70 cm over the shoulder. The Leopard is slenderly built with a yellowish to ocreous brown coat with numerous rosetta shaped black markings. The tail is long and spotted with black. The underparts are whitish. Colourvariation: May occur as totally black (Panther), even in a litter of normal-coloured cubs. The Leopard hunts most often at night, and often drags its kill into a tree. It returns often several times to the kill.

Hunting method: Stalking or lying in wait near a kill. Sometimes hunting with dogs.

Hunting available in: At the moment only available as single licences issued for "harmful" individuals.