Name: Leopard, Panther
Species: Panthera Pardus
Weight: 90-150 pounds
Head/Body: 48 inches
Tail: 24 inches
Subspecies: 15
The leopard or panther is a large, graceful cat with a long, lithe build. Its coat is pale brown to yellowish-brown with dark brown spots in rosettes. Some individuals are very dark brown, almost black, effectively masking their spots and producing the famous black panther.
The leopard may be found in all parts of Africa south of the Sahara, Asia east of the Indus and south of Mongolia, and Indonesia, where it hunts by night, by twilight, and by day in late afternoon and early morning, from the ground or from trees, often dropping silently on its prey, and seeks large or small game of almost any type.
A solid-colored leopard or "black panther" is often of a more aggressive nature than those with a spotted coat. This is because normal spotted mothers tend to dislike solid-color cubs, often driving them away prematurely. This ostracism produces mean-tempered, intolerant individuals, just as it does with humans. No satisfactory explanation has ever been given for this phenomenon.
Name: Clouded Leopard, Mint Leopard
Species: Panthera [Neofelis] Nebulosa
Weight: 40-66 pounds
Head/Body: 36-42 inches
Tail: 30-36 inches
Subspecies: 4
The clouded leopard is a slim, well proportioned, medium-sized cat. Its coat varies from pale brown to rich brown with large irregular blotches, said by the Chinese to resemble the shape of mint leaves (hence the name mint leopard in China). Its head is banded, with small, round, black ears with a central grey spot. Its underparts are pale or white, and its tail is ringed in black.
The clouded leopard may be found in the dense forest and scrub of southern and southeastern Asia, where it hunts by night or day, from trees, dropping silently down onto its prey, and seeks medium-sized game of all types. Completely at home in the trees, this cat is one of the best climbers -- the margay is arguably better, but is nowhere near the same size -- and can run up and down a tree like a huge squirrel.
Some zoologists classify the clouded leopard as a lesser cat, sticking with the genus neofelis, as its hyoid bones are intermediate between the two extremes: it can only roar softly. Most zoologists, however, place it in the genus panthera, and classify it as a greater cat.
Name: Snow Leopard, Ounce
Species: Panthera [Uncia] Uncia
Weight: 150 pounds
Head/Body: 41 inches
Tail: 35 inches
Subspecies: 1
A rare cat, the snow leopard is a large, graceful cat with a long, lithe build. Its coat is smoke grey with dark grey spots in broken rosettes. The snow leopard may be found above the tree line in the high mountains of central Asia, where it hunts by day, from the ground, and seeks grazing animals and large birds.
Little is known about this cat, partly because of its rarity and partly because of its habitat: only a brave, mountain-climbing zoologist can study it in the wild. Some zoologists classify the snow leopard as a lesser cat, sticking with the genus uncia, as its hyoid bones are intermediate between the two extremes: it can roar softly (though louder than the clouded leopard). Most zoologists, however, place it in the genus panthera, and classify it as a greater cat.