Modern Weights and Measurements of Leopards

[Luipaard]

@"LoveAnimals" 

Craniometrical data already suggests larger Persian leopards tend to originate from Northern Iran as is stated in the following study:

Quote:Our craniometrical results revealed that while no differentiation is seen based on size or shape characteristics from different parts of Iran, larger individuals normally belong to the northern range.

Quote:Conversely, exceptionally large skull sizes were found in the north of the country, particularly Alborz and Golestan. Slightly larger skull size of the leopards in northern Iran might be argued based on Bergmann’s rule, stating that within warm-blooded vertebrate species, individuals in races from colder climates or higher latitudes are generally larger than those from races living in warmer regions or lower latitudes

Quote:Prey body mass, habitat productivity and better energy accessibility have been known to be correlated with predator mass (Rosenzweig, 1968; Gittleman, 1985; Iriarte et al., 1990; Carbone, Teacher & Rowcliffe, 2007). In northern forested areas of Iran, the leopards partially feed on Maral red deer (Cervus elaphus maral) (Ziaie, 2008; Sharbafi et al., Unpublished data), the leopard’s largest prey species in west Asia, which is absent from the Zagros region. Moreover, wild boars of larger body mass have been recorded in northern Iran (Tajbakhsh & Jamali, 1995). Therefore, the leopard’s larger body size in northern Iran might be due to larger prey individuals, while in southern Iran energetics may place physiological constraints on body size due to the range of smaller prey items

The study is Molecular and craniological analysis of leopard, Panthera pardus (Carnivora: Felidae) in Iran: Support for a monophyletic clade in Western Asia Reply