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ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - D - THE LEOPARD (Panthera pardus)
ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - D - THE LEOPARD (Panthera pardus)
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ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION - D - THE LEOPARD (Panthera pardus)
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 (12-30-2019, 08:54 AM)Styx38 Wrote: There seem to be some recent cases of Leopards killing humans, especially in India. Albeit distressing, it's not too surprising, given that India is much more densely populated by humans than Africa. Both India and Africa have populations of over 1.3 billion, with the latter's population catching up with that of the former, but India's area is about 3.287 million km², whereas Africa's is about 30.37 million km², so imagine, with an area about one-tenth that of Africa, India has slightly more people! What that has meant for the Indian leopard is that urban areas have expanded, and natural habitats have diminished, forcing leopards to coexist with humans, even if that means preying on them or domestic livestock for survival, and likewise for other animals, including the tiger: https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2016...icon-city/ 
French colonials with baby Atlas leopard in Algeria.
 *This image is copyright of its original author
Jackpot, more image of Atlas leopards, and it may be that skins of Barbary and West African leopards were traded in Marrakesh in 2011: https://wildfact.com/forum/topic-african...#pid100708
Stuffed barbary leopard at the Scientific institute of Rabat.
 *This image is copyright of its original author Source https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:...orocco.jpg (01-30-2020, 06:09 PM)Lycaon Wrote: Stuffed barbary leopard at the Scientific institute of Rabat. New thread for the Atlas or Barbary leopard: https://wildfact.com/forum/topic-atlas-o...#pid100833 
@peter Do you have further information regarding the two skulls?
Quote:I recently talked to a vet interested in skulls. He told me about 2 leopard skulls well exceeding 10 inches in greatest total length. I'll post about both skulls when I have the details (measurements and photographs).  (03-06-2020, 12:14 PM)Luipaard Wrote: @peter Do you have further information regarding the two skulls? Not yet.  
Phylogenetics, genome diversity and origin of modern leopard, Panthera pardus.
Abstract Leopards, Panthera pardus, are widely distributed across southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The extent and phylogeographic patterns of molecular genetic diversity were addressed in a survey of 77 leopards from known geographical locales representing 13 of the 27 classical trinomial subspecies. Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences (727 bp of NADH5 and control region) and 25 polymorphic microsatellite loci revealed abundant diversity that could be partitioned into a minimum of nine discrete populations, tentatively named here as revised subspecies: P. pardus pardus, P. p. nimr, P. p. saxicolor, P. p. fusca, P. p. kotiya, P. p. delacouri, P. p. japonensis, P. p. orientalis and P. p. melas. However, because of limited sampling of African populations, this may be an underestimate of modern phylogeographic population structure. Combined phylogeographic and population diversity estimates support an origin for modern leopard lineages 470,000-825,000 years ago in Africa followed by their migration into and across Asia more recently (170,000-300,000 years ago). Recent demographic reductions likely have led to genetic impoverishment in P. p. orientalis and in the island subspecies P. p. kotiya. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/11479008_Phylogenetics_genome_diversity_and_origin_of_modern_leopard_Panthera_pardus 
Unsustainable anthropogenic mortality disrupts natal dispersal and promotes inbreeding in leopards
Abstract Anthropogenic mortality of wildlife is typically inferred from measures of the absolute decline in population numbers. However, increasing evidence suggests that indirect demographic effects including changes to the age, sex, and social structure of populations, as well as the behavior of survivors, can profoundly impact population health and viability. Specifically, anthropogenic mortality of wildlife (especially when unsustainable) and fragmentation of the spatial distribution of individuals (home‐ranges) could disrupt natal dispersal mechanisms, with long‐term consequences to genetic structure, by compromising outbreeding behavior and gene flow. We investigate this threat in African leopards (Panthera pardus pardus), a polygynous felid with male‐biased natal dispersal. Using a combination of spatial (home‐range) and genetic (21 polymorphic microsatellites) data from 142 adult leopards, we contrast the structure of two South African populations with markedly different histories of anthropogenically linked mortality. Home‐range overlap, parentage assignment, and spatio‐genetic autocorrelation together show that historical exploitation of leopards in a recovering protected area has disrupted and reduced subadult male dispersal, thereby facilitating opportunistic male natal philopatry, with sons establishing territories closer to their mothers and sisters. The resultant kin‐clustering in males of this historically exploited population is comparable to that of females in a well‐protected reserve and has ultimately led to localized inbreeding. Our findings demonstrate novel evidence directly linking unsustainable anthropogenic mortality to inbreeding through disrupted dispersal in a large, solitary felid and expose the genetic consequences underlying this behavioral change. We therefore emphasize the importance of managing and mitigating the effects of unsustainable exploitation on local populations and increasing habitat fragmentation between contiguous protected areas by promoting in situ recovery and providing corridors of suitable habitat that maintain genetic connectivity.
https://www.futurity.org/leopards-geneti...2563412-2/
African and Asian leopards are more genetically differentiated from one another than polar bears and brown bears. "Researchers mapped the genomes of 26 leopards which account for eight of nine living subspecies. The team sourced some of the genetic material from leopards in the Natural History Museum’s collection." "Genome analysis indicates that current differentiations in leopard subspecies just don’t hold water. While nine subspecies have been officially identified, the study shows that, for example, Indian and Sri Lankan leopards are so closely related that they could be considered as a unified evolutionary significant unit." “The answer must now be a resounding no when it comes to African and Asian populations. There is a risk of reducing genetic diversity when crossing a leopard that specializes in living in hot deserts, for example, with another that has adapted to frigid mountain conditions,” Havmøller says. “You are likely to create offspring that are not well adapted to either habitat. On the other hand, our results demonstrate that there might be a solid foundation for interbreeding some of the more genetically similar Asian subspecies.”
"Our top-ranked SCR model suggested that adult female leopards comprised 38% of the population, adult males 22% of the population, subadult females 15% of the population and subadult males 25% of the population"
A good study on what a natural healthy leopard population looks like: Big cats at large: Density, structure, and spatio-temporal patterns of a leopard population free of anthropogenic mortality  |
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