North African leopard  (Panthera pardus panthera)

With possibly just a handful surviving in the wild, the North African leopard is one of the most threatened of the leopard subspecies (1). The leopard is an elegant and powerful cat, more slender than the South American jaguar, but more stocky and robust than the cheetah (4). Its well-muscled body, thick limbs and broad powerful paws, all give this animal an air of great strength (2). Its beautiful coat is a pattern of black spots on a highly variable background colour of golden yellow, rusty yellow, pale brown or fawn, which tends to be darkest on the back (2) (4). The black spots form rosettes over much of the body, but more solid spots over the lower limbs, belly, throat and face (2). Its dappled fur provides excellent camouflage and enables the leopard to hide itself in the most meagre of coverings (2). The name leopard originates from the mistaken belief that this cat was a cross between the lion (which has the scientific name Leo) and the panther, also known as the ‘pard' (2).

The range of the North African leopard is not clear (1). Thought to once occur in Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco (1), it may now just survive in Morocco (5).

In north-west Africa, pine forest and Mediterranean scrub is thought to be suitable habitat for the North African leopard. They are confined to the more remote and rugged areas, ranging from the foothills up to 3,000 metres above sea level in Morocco (6).

The leopard is generally an opportunistic hunter, killing any vulnerable animal it may encounter, although it may also use a vantage point such as a tree or rock pile to visually locate prey, or quickly respond to the sound of an animal in distress (2). It feeds on small to medium-sized mammals (2), killing them with a bite to the back of the neck and then dragging its prey to the cover of vegetation (4). However, unlike some other large cats, it also has the ability to survive on extremely small prey, and will also feed on birds when they can be caught. Dogs, cats and domestic livestock are sometimes hunted by leopards living close to human settlements, leading to the leopard's reputation in some areas as a pest (2). While most of their hunting is undertaken on the ground, the leopard is also a superb climber, and will scale trees with agility and ease (2).

This elegant feline is primarily a solitary animal, seldom seen with another leopard unless it is a mother with her young, or an adult pair briefly consorting (2). Every three to seven weeks, female leopards become receptive to mating. This period only lasts for a few days (4), but during this brief time, females will mate frequently with a male. Copulation typically lasts just three seconds and often ends with the female turning to snarl at the male, who will quickly leap away (2).

After a gestation period lasting around 96 days, the female gives birth in a cave, thicket, hollow tree, abandoned burrow or rock pile to a litter of, on average, one to three cubs. The shortly-furred, faintly-spotted cubs are born blind, and for the first few days of life, the mother will spend all her time at the den nursing her young. The cubs' eyes open after four to nine days, and the mother must start to leave the den to hunt. During these periods, the young cubs are incredibly vulnerable to predators, such as hyenas (2).

At the age of two to three months, the young begin travelling with their mother. They also begin to eat meat, but continue to nurse until around four months old. They gradually develop vital hunting skills, by pouncing on leafs, sticks and even their siblings and mother, and stalking grasshoppers, lizards and birds. When their permanent canine teeth appear at the age of seven or eight months, the cubs are then ready to make their first kill. At 12 to 18 months, the cubs have learnt all they need to survive, and become independent of their mother, who will soon (as females produce a litter generally every two years), have another brood to raise (2).

Little is known about the status of the North African leopard, other than the population is believed to be worryingly small, estimated to number fewer than 250 mature individuals and declining (1). The greatest threat may be that which is impacting other leopard subspecies - the expansion of livestock farming. The presence of livestock can reduce leopard numbers through overgrazing and habitat modification, or through intentional persecution by humans who believe that leopards kill livestock (2).

Hunting of the North African leopard is prohibited in Algeria and Morocco, but there is no legal protection for this critically endangered cat in Tunisia (6). Whether this cat still roams the rugged terrain of North Africa is not clear, and if it does, is it already too late to ensure its long-term survival? Hopefully these questions will be answered before North Africa loses this magnificent predator forever.

For further information on the leopard see:

• Sunquist, M. and Sunquist, F. (2002) Wild Cats of the World. University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

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