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Leopard
Sri Lankan Leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya)
Sri Lankan Leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya)
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Sri Lankan Leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya)
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These cats are said to be the the largest leopards in the world, this is due to the fact that they are the biggest land predators in Sri Lanka therefore not having to compete with lions and tigers like some of their smaller cousins. Feel free to post pics, vids, data and everything else.
 *This image is copyright of its original author Here is something on their diet: http://www.threatenedtaxa.org/ZooPrintJo...4-6221.pdf 
I also read that the Sri Lankan elephant is the largest sub species of Asian elephant and it doesn't have tusks.
What an interesting place 
@Pckts, I had to confirm the elephant fact with a quick search, and wow, you're right. That throws insular dwarfism out the window for this special case.
The leopard being an exception to the insular dwarfism rule I can see, as it isn't too large of an animal to begin with. But an elephant is huge, and it got even bigger on the island? Evolution is odd. 
I have to confirm that Sri Lanka elephants are very large, but still some Nepalese males seems to surpass them in height.
Now, about the leopard, the common statement is that the Sri Lanka great cat is the largest of the leopards and is even stated by Tom Brakefield in his legendary book "Big Cats kingdom of might", but this seems incorrect at some degree. Based in the few records available, these leopards are among the largest, but overall, they are of the same size than the Indian leopards. Persian leopards are in fact larger and some African populations also compete with the mark of 90 kg. What seems special in the Sri Lanka leopards is its behavior, which in absence of a larger competitor, is less secretive and more dominant over its territory. So, we have two examples of mammals that are not affected by Island dwarfism.
@GuateGojira interesting that, surprised that without lions or tigers leopards don't seem to fluctuate too much in size, I do however believe if we had to choose a largest subspecies of leopard I would still go for the Sri Lankan. Just due to the logic factor.
I may be going to Yala in the future! My father is working in and around Sri Lanka at the moment and enquired about Yala for me with some of his Sri Lankan colleagues, they said it is great and could get me booked as they know people who work there. I am chuffed.
 *This image is copyright of its original author These particluar leopards are so beautiful, just the skull shape and fur colouration, it's lovely.
Ivan captured on "Wonders Of The Monsoon"
He is said to be over 100kg but it is probably just an over-sensationalization typical of documentaries.  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author The thermal images are from "Leopard Battleground". Still of Ivan  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
Very interesting
http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/15959/0 Taxonomy [top] Kingdom Phylum Class Order Family Animalia Chordata Mammalia Carnivora Felidae Scientific Name: Panthera pardus ssp. kotiya Species Authority: Deraniyagala, 1956 Parent Species: See Panthera pardus Common Name(s): English – Sri Lankan Leopard Taxonomic Notes: Miththapala et al. (1996) and Uphyrkina et al. (2001) recognized P. p. kotiya on the basis of molecular markers, and found it to have the closest relationship, as expected, with the P. p. fusca subspecies of the Indian subcontinent, which was probably the source population. Assessment Information [top] Red List Category & Criteria: Endangered C2a(i) ver 3.1 Year Published: 2008 Date Assessed: 2008-06-30 Assessor(s): Kittle, A. & Watson, A. Reviewer(s): Nowell, K., Breitenmoser-Wursten, C., Breitenmoser, U. (Cat Red List Authority) & Hoffmann, M. (Global Mammal Assessment Team) Justification: Kittle and Watson (2007) carried out leopard presence-absence surveys around Sri Lanka intermittently for the past 5 years. The extent of occurrence (EOO) of the leopard in Sri Lanka is estimated at 37,650 km² which is > 50% of the country. However, the area of occupancy (AOO) where reproductive adult leopards have been verified as existing is 11,000 km². In 2001-02, adult resident leopard density was estimated at 17.9 per 100 km² in Block I of Ruhuna (Yala) National Park (RNP) in Sri Lanka’s southeastern coastal arid zone. This, strikingly, is the same density estimated by Santiapillai et al. (1982) for this area. This 140 km² Block contains what is probably the best leopard habitat in Sri Lanka. It is relatively well protected from poaching and contains sizeable coastal plains and permanent man-made and natural waterholes, which combined allow for a very high density of prey species. Spotted deer (Axis axis) are particularly abundant in this Block, as are water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) and wild boar (Sus scrofa). Less common, but a seemingly important food source, is the larger sambhar (Cervus unicolor). Two years of prey surveys estimated a prey biomass available to leopards of 7,111 kg/km². Due to this exceptional prey base and unusual level of management and protection it is likely that the leopard density here is substantially higher than in other parts of the island, protected and unprotected. Kittle and Watson (2007) estimate that the 7,222.8 km² of Protected Areas (National Parks, Strict Nature Reserves, Sanctuaries and Conservation Forests) where leopards are known to reside have a leopard density ½ that of Block 1 Yala. Therefore (8.95 leopards/100 km²) * (7,222.8 km²) = 646.4 leopards. The remainder of the area of occupancy (11,000 km² - (7,222.8 + 140)) = 3,637.2 km² is not protected. We estimate that the population density in these unprotected areas is ½ that of the protected areas = 4.48/100 km². This results in 162.9 leopards residing in non-protected areas. In total the estimated leopard population in Sri Lanka is (25.1 in RNP, Block I) + (646.4 in Protected Areas) + (162.9 in unprotected areas) = 834.4. It is apparent from the above method that this is a rough estimate as different habitat types are expected to have varying densities. Kittle and Watson (2007) plan future work in the central highlands (submontane/montane forest) of Sri Lanka which will allow estimation of population density in this region with much greater accuracy. Furthermore, the above estimate does not take into account the Wanni jungles of the far north, which due to the present conflict are inaccessible. It is expected that these jungles, some of the most dense and contiguous in the country, are home to leopards. However, the impact of the conflict is unknown. Due to these factors it is wise to be prudent and assume large confidence intervals, making the estimated range of leopard numbers in Sri Lanka 700 – 950. No subpopulation is larger than 250, and the population is believed to be declining due to numerous threats including poaching for trade (primarily to India) and human-leopard conflict (Kittle and Watson 2005). Previously published Red List assessments: 1996 – Endangered (EN) 1994 – Endangered (E) Geographic Range [top] Range Map: Click here to open the map viewer and explore range. Population [top] Current Population Trend:  *This image is copyright of its original author Decreasing Additional data: ♦Population severely fragmented: Yes Habitat and Ecology [top] Citation: Kittle, A. & Watson, A. 2008. Panthera pardus ssp. kotiya. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2008: e.T15959A5334064. http://dx.doi.org/10.2305/IUCN.UK.2008.RLTS.T15959A5334064.en. Downloaded on 10 December 2015. |
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