Leopard

Leopard

Panthera pardus

Included in the “Red Book” of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Zangezur National Park

A species of animal belonging to the Cat class of the Predatory order of the Mammal class. It is found in the Hyrkan forests, in the Zangezur range, in Daridag, Nehramdag and Deresham, in the Lesser Caucasus, on the Karabakh plateau, north of the Mingachevir reservoir, in the Akhar-Bakhar range.

It has a long muscular body, strong arms. Its color is yellow, light yellow or reddish yellow. The arrangement of spots is individual in each individual and is distributed throughout the body in the form of rosettes. The abdomen is light in color. There are dense black rings at the tip of the tail. Body length is 126-171, sometimes 183 cm, tail length is 94-116 cm. Body mass is on average 30 kg. The largest individuals are found in the Caucasus.

It lives in different biotopes - on rocks, in dry landscapes covered with juniper bushes, in rocky-wooded areas, in humid Hyrcanian forests. Mating occurs in December-January, the cubs are born mainly in April-May, giving birth to 2-3 cubs.