Leopard

Scientific Name

Panthera pardus fusca

IUCN Status

Vulnerable (VU)

Lifespan

10-12 years

Weight

Male: 50-77 kg 7 kg, Female: 29-34 kg

Range

All states of India

Habitat Type

Forest, shrubland, savanna, grassland, rocky areas, mountains, desert

Threats

Hunting, poisoning and retaliatory killing, poaching for pelts and body parts, become roadkill when roads and highways run through forests

Did You Know

Dark morphs or black leopards, often called black panthers, are the same species, but with recessive melanistic genes. Spots are hidden under the dark

IUCN Status

Vulnerable (VU)

Lifespan

10-12 years

Weight

Male: 50-77 kg 7 kg, Female: 29-34 kg

Range

All states of India

Habitat Type

Forest, shrubland, savanna, grassland, rocky areas, mountains, desert

Threats

Hunting, poisoning and retaliatory killing, poaching for pelts and body parts, become roadkill when roads and highways run through forests

Did You Know

Dark morphs or black leopards, often called black panthers, are the same species, but with recessive melanistic genes. Spots are hidden under the dark

Through videos, stories, infographics and more, here's a deep dive into the world and life of the leopard

Green Humour

See the species from a cartoonist's point of view

Deep Dive

Photos, stories, videos and everything you want to know

Dark Side: Spotting a Leopard in Panna Tiger Reserve Learn More chevron_right
22 Results
Neighbours and Friends: A Family and Other Animals
Photo Story
Neighbours and Friends: A Family and Other Animals
Megha Moorthy
Dhritiman Mukherjee
Leopards, small wild cats, and numerous other wildlife peacefully coexist with humans in the rural hamlet of Jawai in western Rajasthan
By
Megha Moorthy
Dhritiman Mukherjee
Photo Story
Tigers, Leopards Venture Into Snow Leopard Territory in the Himalayas
Conservation
Tigers, Leopards Venture Into Snow Leopard Territory in the Himalayas
Abhaya Raj Joshi
Dhritiman Mukherjee
A warming climate threatens to push Nepal’s three big cat species — tigers, leopards and snow leopards — into closer proximity to each other, with unknown consequences for the survival of each
By
Abhaya Raj Joshi
Dhritiman Mukherjee
Conservation
Human-Wildlife Clashes in a Changing Kashmir Valley
Conservation
Human-Wildlife Clashes in a Changing Kashmir Valley
Mubashir Naik
Irshad Hussain
Rapid urbanisation and a changing forest landscape set wild animals and locals against each other in Kashmir. The latest victims of this conflict are children
By
Mubashir Naik
Irshad Hussain
Conservation
A Leopard Demands Some Respect From a Barking Deer
Green Humour
A Leopard Demands Some Respect From a Barking Deer
Rohan Chakravarty
Cartoons and illustrations on wildlife, environment and conservation
By
Rohan Chakravarty
Green Humour
Hide and Seek: On the Scent of a Leopard in Tiger Country
Wild Vault
Hide and Seek: On the Scent of a Leopard in Tiger Country
Richa Malhotra
Phillip Ross
When spots, not stripes, steal the show on a safari through Bandipur Tiger Reserve
By
Richa Malhotra
Phillip Ross
Wild Vault
Wildlife Puzzle: Snow Leopard
Interactive
Wildlife Puzzle: Snow Leopard
Sustain Team
Put together this jigsaw to see the ghost cat of the high mountains
By
Sustain Team
Interactive
India Has Lost 75-90 per cent of its Leopard Population
Multimedia
India Has Lost 75-90 per cent of its Leopard Population
Sustain Team
A recent study has claimed that India’s leopards are in danger and need as much attention and protection as the tiger
By
Sustain Team
Multimedia
Muskaan: The Leopard Queen of Kumbhalgarh
Video
Muskaan: The Leopard Queen of Kumbhalgarh
Gunjan Menon
Muskaan has found a secure home on the peripheries of Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary, thanks to nomadic herders Raikas who have shared their space with leopards for decades. But new developments are tipping this fine balance. Will Muskaan have to abandon her home?
By
Gunjan Menon
Video
The Nitty-gritty of Releasing a Leopard
Book
The Nitty-gritty of Releasing a Leopard
Sanjay Gubbi
When a leopard is captured near Chalamasandra village, a team assembles to release it in the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary
By
Sanjay Gubbi
Book
Leopards to the Rescue!
Green Humour
Leopards to the Rescue!
Rohan Chakravarty
Cartoons and illustrations on wildlife, environment and conservation
By
Rohan Chakravarty
Green Humour
Leopards of Saswad: On the Edge of a Concrete Jungle
Video
Leopards of Saswad: On the Edge of a Concrete Jungle
Mihir Godbole
Wolves have ruled the Saswad grasslands for years, but recently an uninvited guest has taken over– the leopard. Now, the city threatens to take over these grasslands. Will the leopard survive the onslaught of the urban?
By
Mihir Godbole
Video
Wildlife Puzzle: A Leopard takes a Catnap
Interactive
Wildlife Puzzle: A Leopard takes a Catnap
Sustain Team
Put together this jigsaw to see the highly adaptable cat catch a quick shut-eye
By
Sustain Team
Interactive
Indian Leopard: Facts, Diet, Habitat
Infographic
Indian Leopard: Facts, Diet, Habitat
Nisarg Prakash
Diviya Mehra
All you need to know about this highly adaptable big cat
By
Nisarg Prakash
Diviya Mehra
Infographic
Dark Side: Spotting a Leopard in Panna Tiger Reserve
Species
Dark Side: Spotting a Leopard in Panna Tiger Reserve
Anita Rao-Kashi
At night, the forests of India are happy stomping grounds for many creatures, but few are as adaptable, clandestine, and canny as the leopard
By
Anita Rao-Kashi
Species
Spotted! A Leopard on the Prowl
Conservation
Spotted! A Leopard on the Prowl
Sanjay Gubbi
Without timely conservation measures, the enigmatic <em>Panthera pardus</em> might end up in greater conflict with humans
By
Sanjay Gubbi
Conservation
Deep Wells of Danger: Karnataka’s Leopards in Peril
Conservation
Deep Wells of Danger: Karnataka’s Leopards in Peril
Aathira Perinchery
A study finds that between 2OO8 and 2O17, Karnataka witnessed 7O instances of leopards falling into open wells
By
Aathira Perinchery
Conservation
Unregulated Leopard Tourism Worries Conservationists
Conservation
Unregulated Leopard Tourism Worries Conservationists
Sneha Mahale
Private leopard safaris around the periphery of protected areas with claims of “guaranteed sightings” causes concern
By
Sneha Mahale
Conservation
Aarey: The Wild Heart of Mumbai
Urban Jungle
Aarey: The Wild Heart of Mumbai
Kamakshi Ayyar
Few cities in the world have large swathes of jungles within their borders, even fewer have leopards living within. Unfortunately, the green cover of India’s maximum city is under grave threat
By
Kamakshi Ayyar
Urban Jungle
Shared Spaces: The Leopards of Jawai in Rajasthan
Photo Story
Shared Spaces: The Leopards of Jawai in Rajasthan
Sustain Team
Dhritiman Mukherjee
The absence of human-animal conflict in a small area of the Aravalli Hills makes us re-examine our knowledge of leopard behaviour and their interactions with humans
By
Sustain Team
Dhritiman Mukherjee
Photo Story
Fade to Black: When Big Cats Hide
Column
Fade to Black: When Big Cats Hide
Janaki Lenin
How the coat colour and design of wild cats allows them to blend into a diverse range of habitats, at different times of day or night
By
Janaki Lenin
Column
Conflict and Coexistence: Leopards and the Residents of Valparai
Conservation
Conflict and Coexistence: Leopards and the Residents of Valparai
Pravin Shanmughanandam
How leopards adapt to human presence and communities learn to live in close proximity to the big cat, in the Anaimalai Hills of Tamil Nadu
By
Pravin Shanmughanandam
Conservation
The Queen of Jhalana is Dead, Long Live the Prince
Habitat
The Queen of Jhalana is Dead, Long Live the Prince
Dr Asad Rahmani
The tigers of Jhalana may be a distant memory, but the leopards are just as worth saving
By
Dr Asad Rahmani
Habitat