Leopard: status, range, size and diet
The most widespread wild cat in Africa and Asia, a stealthy climber that adapts to many habitats and is listed as Vulnerable.
Also known as Panthera pardus, panther, black panther, African leopard
At a glance
| Scientific name | Panthera pardus |
|---|---|
| Group | Big cats |
| Weight | Males about 30-70 kg, females about 20-45 kg |
| Length | Head and body about 92-183 cm, tail 66-102 cm |
| Lifespan in the wild | 12-17 years |
| Known for | Dragging prey into trees, and the black form known as the black panther. |
Status
| IUCN Red List category | Vulnerable |
|---|---|
| Assessed in | 2024 |
Where it lives
| Range | Patchily across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, from the Arabian Peninsula and the Caucasus to India, Southeast Asia, the Russian Far East and Java |
|---|---|
| Habitat | Rainforest, savanna, woodland, semi-desert, mountains and the edges of towns and villages |
| Diet | Antelope, deer, pigs, monkeys, rodents, birds and, near settlements, dogs and livestock |
Main threats
- Loss and fragmentation of habitat
- Retaliatory killing over livestock
- Poaching for skins and bones
- Loss of wild prey
About
The leopard is a muscular, mid-sized big cat with a golden coat marked by rosettes, shorter-legged and heavier in the chest than the cheetah it is often confused with. It is strong enough to haul a large carcass up a tree, where it can feed without losing the kill to lions or hyenas. Leopards are mostly active at night, and they are solitary except for mothers with cubs.
Some leopards are born almost entirely black because of a recessive gene. These dark animals, called black panthers, are most often seen in dense forest, and their rosettes still show in strong light.
Where it lives and what it eats
No other wild cat covers as much of the map. Leopards live in desert, rainforest, savanna, mountains and farmland, and they will use suburbs where cover and food allow. Even so, they have vanished from about three quarters of their historical range, and some regional populations, such as those in West Africa and the Sahara, have collapsed.
Leopards eat more than a hundred recorded kinds of prey. Medium-sized hoofed animals, often between 10 and 40 kg, make up most of the diet, along with monkeys, small carnivores and rodents. Around towns, domestic dogs can be an important food source. Eight subspecies are generally recognised by the IUCN Cat Specialist Group, among them the Amur, Arabian, Indochinese and Persian leopards, some of which are critically low in number.
Threats and conservation
The species is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, based on an assessment finalised in 2024. Farmland is replacing wild habitat, prey is being hunted out, and leopards are killed in revenge for livestock losses or for skins and bones sold illegally. Trophy hunting is permitted in some African countries under quotas, and how well those quotas are monitored is debated.
Useful measures include secure livestock enclosures, compensation for losses, anti-poaching patrols and protected corridors. Counting leopards is hard, so many national numbers rest on camera-trap surveys of small areas.
Cats and people
Leopards live closer to people than any other big cat, and in parts of India they pass through villages and city outskirts at night. Most keep out of sight and attacks are uncommon, but cornered or sick animals can be dangerous, and a few history books describe individual leopards that preyed on people. Leopards are kept in zoos worldwide. Their spots and skins have long marked status in African and Asian cultures, and the trade in skins is now illegal in most places.
Profile last reviewed November 7, 2026