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Modern Weights and Measurements of Leopards

Luipaard Offline
Leopard enthusiast

(12-08-2022, 10:32 PM)Pckts Wrote:
(12-08-2022, 08:17 PM)Luipaard Wrote:
(12-07-2022, 07:27 PM)Pckts Wrote: This is Rowalnd Wards Volume 2
Skulls are measured in the same way SCI skulls are measured so should be taken with the same grain of salt.

At least the Rowland Ward Records has shown some huge male leopards unlike the SCI Records. Seriously, the no.2 male from the SCI Records looks normal in size yet rivals the top 3 Asiatic male leopards from the Rowland Wards Records in terms of skull measurements. Like Chui said, he has a lioness-sized skull despite his average size. He also originates from the Kalahari which isn't exactly known for its big leopards. Compare that with the 200-220lbs estimated male with a skull score of 17.75" from the Rowland Ward Records and it's clear which one is more reliable between the two. A Tanzanian male had a skull score of 15.75" and weighed 78kg so again the Rowland Ward male leopard's weight with his 17.75" skull score is realistic.

Both should be taken "with a grain of salt" because they're hunter records after all. It is interesting to see the consistency of the Persian leopard's origin though, being all from North of Iran. That again proves that the biggest Persian leopards are to be found in North of Iran.

I will admit that I still find it impressive for a recorded 20" skull score no matter which source (i.e. scientific or hunted). But, at the same time I don't take it fully serious. For example, there's a hunted leopard with a skull width of 200 mm, wider than the widest scientifically leopard skull (191 mm). Guess which one I consider more reliable/possible? Also, why do you specifically take the 115kg Persian male with a grain of salt when the source is scientifically and we both got confirmation from the wildlife veterinarian (Iman Memarian)? He did say he was found near a carcass so we can safely assume he wasn't empty though. Yet Troncha, the Pantanal jaguaress was pregnant and wasn't empty and still everyone acknowledges her 110kg weight figure.

What do you mean? SCI has shown numerous cats. Some look big and others not as much but hold little value as forced perspective images don't mean anything.
The idea that one is more "clear" to you than another again doesn't mean much. Skull size doesn't always equate to body weight and on top of that, body condition will play a major role. 

They should be taken with a grain of salt because of the protocol used, not because they are hunters. Hunters like anyone need to be vetted and protocols need to be mentioned then you can determine how valid they are. The protocol used to measure these skulls isn't the same used to measure others and can lead to exaggerated sizes at times, that is why they should be taken with a grain of salt when comparing to others without knowing the protocols used. 
In regards to N. Iran Leopards being larger than their S. Cousins, I don't think anyone disputes it but would I never saw were mention of Indian Leopards being larger than Persians so now are we going to claim them to be the largest of all Leopards?

Lastly, the comparison about Troncha holds no weight as the information provided was by the one who created the table and of course specifically mentions her condition and pregnancy.

Quote:What do you mean? SCI has shown numerous cats. Some look big and others not as much but hold little value as forced perspective images don't mean anything.

I know SCI has photos, hence why I said the no.2 from Kalahari is average-sized while having a lioness-sized skull. Only morphological changes can give you a proportionally bigger skull. A desert-like leopard from the Kalahari will never have such a long and wide skull. Central African leopards do because they're known to predate on crocodiles and other armoured prey. It's an adaptation to a lifestyle. Persian leopards rival these leopards because of a different lifestyle, this time the reason being living in a colder environment.

Quote:The idea that one is more "clear" to you than another again doesn't mean much. Skull size doesn't always equate to body weight and on top of that, body condition will play a major role.

But it is more clear; we have a huge male with photos from a region where it's known the male leopards are of big size. Its skull measurements/score is realistic unlike the no.2 from SCI who scored better yet looked much smaller and had a visible smaller skull. In terms of BCS (body condition score); both the Aberdare and no.2 SCI male looked perfectly fine.

Quote:They should be taken with a grain of salt because of the protocol used, not because they are hunters. Hunters like anyone need to be vetted and protocols need to be mentioned then you can determine how valid they are. The protocol used to measure these skulls isn't the same used to measure others and can lead to exaggerated sizes at times, that is why they should be taken with a grain of salt when comparing to others without knowing the protocols used.

A lot of explanation going on here so I'm wondering what's the difference between method 17 and method 18? You shared records from Rowland Ward's Records and so did I; but via method 17 (which you shared) the record is 20", via method 18 it's 19".

Quote:In regards to N. Iran Leopards being larger than their S. Cousins, I don't think anyone disputes it but would I never saw were mention of Indian Leopards being larger than Persians so now are we going to claim them to be the largest of all Leopards?

Scientifically speaking the Persian leopard is still overall the largest leopard subspecies because 115kg (Persian) > 83kg (Indian). I mean, you did say:

Quote:Skull size doesn't always equate to body weight

So why would you consider the Indian leopard the largest subspecies? And when it's vice versa with Central African leopards walking with lioness-sized skulls, you believe them to be smaller than savannah leopards? So the question is; does a large leopard skull correlate with a larger weight/size.

Quote:Lastly, the comparison about Troncha holds no weight as the information provided was by the one who created the table and of course specifically mentions her condition and pregnancy.

I remember the 110kg figure being a reason to say a Pantanal jaguaress is larger than any male leopard because of that figure. Not on this forum though, but we both know where. Almost everybody accepted the weight unlike the 115kg Persian male.
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Spain JUJOMORE Offline
New Member
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Reviewing this topic, I have seen that there was two post by Pkts and Luipaard on page 5 about a leopard hunted by Carlo Caldesi in which there were some doubts about the weight of the animal. Well, in the book "Africa Safaris", Editorial Olivo, 1990, notable hunters write about some African species. The leopard chapter is written by Carlo Caldesi, on page 690, he says the following:

  “..He lives at ease in the mountains, and I, on Mount Kenya, at 3,500 m. altitude, one day I was lucky enough to kill my largest leopard, a magnificent specimen weighing 90 kg, with which my professional hunter, Fred Bartlett, one of the best men I have ever had the chance to hunt with, won the prize for best trophy achieved in the year by a client of the East Africa Hunter Association guide.”
 
So, we now have confirmation from the hunter himself.


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*This image is copyright of its original author
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United States Pckts Offline
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(12-14-2022, 05:05 PM)JUJOMORE Wrote: Reviewing this topic, I have seen that there was two post by Pkts and Luipaard on page 5 about a leopard hunted by Carlo Caldesi in which there were some doubts about the weight of the animal. Well, in the book "Africa Safaris", Editorial Olivo, 1990, notable hunters write about some African species. The leopard chapter is written by Carlo Caldesi, on page 690, he says the following:

  “..He lives at ease in the mountains, and I, on Mount Kenya, at 3,500 m. altitude, one day I was lucky enough to kill my largest leopard, a magnificent specimen weighing 90 kg, with which my professional hunter, Fred Bartlett, one of the best men I have ever had the chance to hunt with, won the prize for best trophy achieved in the year by a client of the East Africa Hunter Association guide.”
 
So, we now have confirmation from the hunter himself.


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*This image is copyright of its original author
My quote is from Fred himself and the book, it was an estimate. But he’s fully capable of making such a claim and it holding weight so I don’t doubt the leopard was close to his size claimed.
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United States Pckts Offline
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Luipaard Offline
Leopard enthusiast

Skull measurements of 6 Indian leopards

1 = length
2 = condylobasal length
3 = width
4 = height


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Cranio-morphometric Study of Asiatic Big Cats for Forensic Identification
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Luipaard Offline
Leopard enthusiast

3 free-ranging Sri Lankan males weighed more than 60kg:


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Mortality Patterns of Sri Lankan Leopards (Panthera pardus kotiya) in the South and Uva Wildlife Regions in Sri Lanka
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United States Pckts Offline
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Like I mentioned, Harrington’s quote in regards to 90kg Persian weight isn’t based off an individual, just a species specific claim.

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


That being said, it’s a great book on Iranian parks and wildlife. Highly recommended if you can find it.
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Luipaard Offline
Leopard enthusiast
( This post was last modified: 01-17-2023, 10:09 PM by Luipaard )

(01-17-2023, 09:59 PM)Pckts Wrote: Like I mentioned, Harrington’s quote in regards to 90kg Persian weight isn’t based off an individual, just a species specific claim.

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


That being said, it’s a great book on Iranian parks and wildlife. Highly recommended if you can find it.

That figure is based on an individual:


*This image is copyright of its original author

There was no data back in 1977 except for one male and that's how they concluded males can weigh up to 90kg.
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United States Pckts Offline
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( This post was last modified: 01-17-2023, 11:21 PM by Pckts )

(01-17-2023, 10:08 PM)Luipaard Wrote:
(01-17-2023, 09:59 PM)Pckts Wrote: Like I mentioned, Harrington’s quote in regards to 90kg Persian weight isn’t based off an individual, just a species specific claim.

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


That being said, it’s a great book on Iranian parks and wildlife. Highly recommended if you can find it.

That figure is based on an individual:


*This image is copyright of its original author

There was no data back in 1977 except for one male and that's how they concluded males can weigh up to 90kg.
No it wasn't that's Harringtons book right there as he is the one the cited as well as being the closest in date. So unless there's an actual individual with appropriate information specified, it's nothing more than an estimate. 90kg is a generally maximum for any Leopard in literature. It's too easy to just frivolously use large weights without evidence to back them.
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Luipaard Offline
Leopard enthusiast

(01-17-2023, 10:28 PM)Pckts Wrote:
(01-17-2023, 10:08 PM)Luipaard Wrote:
(01-17-2023, 09:59 PM)Pckts Wrote: Like I mentioned, Harrington’s quote in regards to 90kg Persian weight isn’t based off an individual, just a species specific claim.

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


That being said, it’s a great book on Iranian parks and wildlife. Highly recommended if you can find it.

That figure is based on an individual:


*This image is copyright of its original author

There was no data back in 1977 except for one male and that's how they concluded males can weigh up to 90kg.
No it wasn't that's Harringtons book right there as he is the one the cited as well as being the closest in date. So unless there's an actual individual with appropriate information specified, it's nothing more than an estimate. 90kg is a generally maximum for any Leopard in literature. It's too easy to just frivolously use large weights without evidence to back them.

The individual you're looking for was "captured in late 1960s from northern country".
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United States Pckts Offline
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(01-18-2023, 12:06 AM)Luipaard Wrote:
(01-17-2023, 10:28 PM)Pckts Wrote:
(01-17-2023, 10:08 PM)Luipaard Wrote:
(01-17-2023, 09:59 PM)Pckts Wrote: Like I mentioned, Harrington’s quote in regards to 90kg Persian weight isn’t based off an individual, just a species specific claim.

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


That being said, it’s a great book on Iranian parks and wildlife. Highly recommended if you can find it.

That figure is based on an individual:


*This image is copyright of its original author

There was no data back in 1977 except for one male and that's how they concluded males can weigh up to 90kg.
No it wasn't that's Harringtons book right there as he is the one the cited as well as being the closest in date. So unless there's an actual individual with appropriate information specified, it's nothing more than an estimate. 90kg is a generally maximum for any Leopard in literature. It's too easy to just frivolously use large weights without evidence to back them.

The individual you're looking for was "captured in late 1960s from northern country".

Captured by who?
Under what circumstances?
Verified and weighed by who?
Actual weight? 

Notice who's cited and Harrington gives no mention of any male weighing that weight.
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United States Styx38 Offline
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(01-17-2023, 09:59 PM)Pckts Wrote: Like I mentioned, Harrington’s quote in regards to 90kg Persian weight isn’t based off an individual, just a species specific claim.

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


That being said, it’s a great book on Iranian parks and wildlife. Highly recommended if you can find it.


Here it is saying that the 90 kg Leopard was a recorded weight.

"Leopards attain larger size in the mountains of Iran and central Asia , with recorded weights for males up to 90 kg ."

Wild Cats: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan - Page 44
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United States Pckts Offline
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( This post was last modified: 01-18-2023, 05:09 AM by Pckts )

(01-18-2023, 04:30 AM)Styx38 Wrote:
(01-17-2023, 09:59 PM)Pckts Wrote: Like I mentioned, Harrington’s quote in regards to 90kg Persian weight isn’t based off an individual, just a species specific claim.

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


That being said, it’s a great book on Iranian parks and wildlife. Highly recommended if you can find it.


Here it is saying that the 90 kg Leopard was a recorded weight.

"Leopards attain larger size in the mountains of Iran and central Asia , with recorded weights for males up to 90 kg ."

Wild Cats: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan - Page 44

Wild Cats is not a first hand source, simply a collection of available data available to the author. The alleged 90kg figure is cited to Harringtons book who who makes no mention of an actual individual, just a round figure the species can obtain.
You need mention of whom recorded it, it's actual weight, verification of weight and means of capture.  
As of now, the largest provided weight with source is 88kg outside of the *115kg alleged Leopard* which has been shifted to 95kgs *ish*
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United States Pckts Offline
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( This post was last modified: 01-18-2023, 05:23 AM by Pckts )

One that you can actually look up is from Almeidas book on page 54

D. Laylin, engaged in a program for trapping leopards in Iran and transferring them from one region to another, told me the largest male they caught weighted just over 176 pounds (80kgs)

My guess is D is short for David Laylin, https://www.jstor.org/stable/resrep17110
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United States Styx38 Offline
Banned

(01-18-2023, 05:04 AM)Pckts Wrote:
(01-18-2023, 04:30 AM)Styx38 Wrote:
(01-17-2023, 09:59 PM)Pckts Wrote: Like I mentioned, Harrington’s quote in regards to 90kg Persian weight isn’t based off an individual, just a species specific claim.

*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


*This image is copyright of its original author


That being said, it’s a great book on Iranian parks and wildlife. Highly recommended if you can find it.


Here it is saying that the 90 kg Leopard was a recorded weight.

"Leopards attain larger size in the mountains of Iran and central Asia , with recorded weights for males up to 90 kg ."

Wild Cats: Status Survey and Conservation Action Plan - Page 44

Wild Cats is not a first hand source, simply a collection of available data available to the author. The alleged 90kg figure is cited to  Harringtons book who who makes no mention of an actual individual, just a round figure the species can obtain.
You need mention of whom recorded it, it's actual weight, verification of weight and means of capture.  
As of now, the largest provided weight with source is 88kg outside of the *115kg alleged Leopard* which has been shifted to 95kgs *ish*



Don't forget the 91 kg Leopard and the 90 kg Leopard in Diyabakir, Turkey.
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