Friday, January 10, 2014

Animal Profile: Amur Leopard

To kick off the new year Little Critterz is celebrating the diversity of our wonderful planet by spotlighting a different animal every week! So to start off 2014, we begin with the majestic Amur Leopard of northeastern Asia.


Found in the Primorye region of Russia, the Amur Leopard is the only leopard subspecies that has adapted to a frigid, snowy climate. Like many big cats, the Amur Leopard is an exemplary example of an animal built for hunting. This ferocious feline is known to run at speeds up to 40 miles per hour and can jump ten feet in the air in an effort to capture its prey!


These leopards are characterized as an extremely solitary creature and are known to be very protective of their chosen territory. It is not uncommon for a single Amur Leopard to have a territory of over 100 square miles! Unfortunately though, in the past couple decades, these leopards have lost an estimated 80% of their native territories through harmful activities such as logging and land conservation for farming.


Currently, there are only around 30 Amur Leopards left in the wild. Recently, habitat assessment and anti-poaching measures have been put in place by the Russian Government to help preserve this beautiful animal. While the current situation seems bleak, the recent preservation focus on the Amur Leopard provides new found optimism for the future of this species!








Our goal at Little Critterz is to spread the respect of animals through education of and interaction with animals. We believe this to be done by learning about the wondrous world of animals both online and in person at zoos, national parks and aquariums. We also believe respect, thus protection for animals, stems through admiration of animal, real and treasured symbols, like this Amur Leopard miniature porcelain figurine.

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