The Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) is the rarest cat species of the world. There are 8 panther pardus species around the world and Amur leopard is the rarest one out of those subspecies. It was first described in 1857 under the scientific name Felis orientails from Korea by Hermann Schlegel. Amur leopard is native to the Primorye region of southeast Russia and the Jilin province of northeast China. Since 1996, It has been classified as critically endangered by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature).
Amur leopards live for 10‐ 15 years in the wild and 20 years when in captivity, it is also known as the Far East leopard, the Manchurian leopard, or the Korean leopard.
It has adapted to live in the harsh and cold climatic conditions of Far East Russia, possessing a thick coat that can grow as long as 7cm in the winter and that has a fairly light yellow to dense yellowish-red with a rusty-reddish-yellow or golden tinge. The fur is brighter with a more vivid coloration pattern in the summer than in winter. It is rather small in body size, with males larger than females. The Males weigh about 32-48 kilograms (70-105 lbs.) but some can weigh up to 75 kilograms (165 lbs.) and Females weigh about 25-43 kilograms (55-95 lbs.).
Poaching of leopards is the main threat to Amur Leopards survival. Other than that, there are lots of threats for them such as poaching of prey species, habitat loss, forest fires, deforestation, and deterioration of reproducing numbers.
The future of the critically endangered Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) is at a crucial point, and effective conservation strategies need to be implemented as soon as possible in order to support the survival and thrive of the critically endangered species, including the Amur leopard.
