Leopards

Until human encroachment, leopards were the most widely distributed of all felids other than the domestic cat. Leopards were found through most of Africa (with the exception of the Sahara Desert), as well as parts of Asia Minor and the Middle East, India, Pakistan, China, Siberia, much of mainland South-East Asia, and the islands of Java, Zanzibar, and Sri Lanka.

Leopards have fur in light tan to golden with dark spots, but their coloring can vary widely. They are sometimes confused with cheetah because of their coloring and overlapping territory.

Leopards are also closely related to jaguars in size, shape, and coloring but live in completely different parts of the world. Black leopards have more pigmentation in their skins but if you look closely you can see they also have spots.

Jaguars love to swim and are exceptionally strong. They can exist without drinking any water by absorbing sufficient water from their food. They are active at night, which is when they do their hunting.

Their camouflage and secretive, nocturnal habits have helped protect them from detection in areas where people live, but they now face the same dangers from humans as other exotic cats. As a whole species, their numbers are much higher in the wild than tigers, but all subspecies of leopard are critically endangered or threatened, with the Zanzibar Leopard being extinct.