Categories
Big cats

Endangered – The Threat to Amur Leopards

A colossal 80% of the Amur leopard’s habitat has been lost due to forest fires, logging and agricultural land conversion projects

Writer and conservationist Annette J Beveridge
Annette J Beveridge

A subspecies of leopard that has adapted to the colder climates of the mountains and forests, the Amur leopard, (Panthera pardus orientalis) is slightly smaller than other leopards with a thick coat, wide-spacing rosettes and a long tail. The rosettes are spaced further apart with a dark ring around them which helps with identification against other leopards. They can be heard making rasping sounds even if the animal is hidden from sight. Their fur changes seasonally. In the winter, it is lighter with a yellow sheen and in the summer months, a yellow/red tinge develops to the fur.

Categories
Big cats Mammals

The Tragic Loss of Jaguars

By Annette J Beveridge

Editor Annette J Beveridge

Jaguars (panthera onca) are enigmatic animals. With an unusually large round head, a stunning coat and long tail, jaguars are muscled, compact and distinctive. They have shorter legs than other Panthera species of a similar weight. In the Americas, it is the largest species of cat and has the most powerful bite comparative to its size which enables it to bite through the skull of mammalian prey.

Jaguars are the third largest feline after tigers and lions and are listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). They are classified as near threatened. An investigation into the population recorded a loss of almost 1500 animals. Here’s why.