Diversity and evolutionary patterns of immune genes in free-ranging Namibian leopards (Panthera pardus pardus)

The genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are a key component of the mammalian immune system and have become important molecular markers for fitness-related genetic variation in wildlife populations. Currently, no information about the MHC sequence variation and constitution in African leopards exists. In this study, we isolated and characterized genetic variation at the adaptively most important region of MHC class I and MHC class II-DRB genes in 25 free-ranging African leopards from Namibia and investigated the mechanisms that generate and maintain MHC polymorphism in the species. Using single-stranded conformation polymorphism analysis and direct sequencing, we detected 6 MHC class I and 6 MHC class II-DRB sequences, which likely correspond to at least 3 MHC class I and 3 MHC class II-DRB loci. Amino acid sequence variation in both MHC classes was higher or similar in comparison to other reported felids. We found signatures of positive selection shaping the diversity of MHC class I and MHC class II-DRB loci during the evolutionary history of the species. A comparison of MHC class I and MHC class II-DRB sequences of the leopard to those of other felids revealed a trans-species mode of evolution. In addition, the evolutionary relationships of MHC class II-DRB sequences between African and Asian leopard subspecies are discussed.     

Inheritance of the black form of the leopardPanthera pardus

The black form of the leopard is shown to be inherited as an autosomal monogenic recessive to the spotted wild type. Pairings of black animals inter se have a significantly smaller litter size than other possible pairings. Two reasons are offered for this: (1) that black animals may be slightly more inbred than the spotted or (2) black animals may be more prone to pre-natal loss than the spotted. The significance of the latter possibility is briefly discussed in relation to the persistence of the spotted/black polymorphism for areas of South-east Asia.     

Prey preferences of the leopard (Panthera pardus)

Leopards Panthera pardus have a catholic diet and are generally thought to prey on medium-sized ungulates; however, knowledge on which species are actually preferred and avoided is lacking, along with an understanding of why such preferences arise. Twenty-nine published and four unpublished studies of leopard diet that had relative prey abundance estimates associated with them were analysed from 13 countries in 41 different spatial locations or temporal periods throughout the distribution of the leopard. A Jacobs' index value was calculated for each prey species in each study and the mean of these was then tested against a mean of 0 using t or sign tests for preference or avoidance. Leopards preferentially prey upon species within a weight range of 10–40 kg. Regression plots suggest that the most preferred mass of leopard prey is 25 kg, whereas the mean body mass of significantly preferred prey is 23 kg. Leopards prefer prey within this body mass range, which occur in small herds, in dense habitat and afford the hunter minimal risk of injury during capture. Consequently, impala, bushbuck and common duiker are significantly preferred, with chital likely to also be preferred with a larger sample size from Asian sites. Species outside the preferred weight range are generally avoided, as are species that are restricted to open vegetation or that have sufficient anti-predator strategies. The ratio of mean leopard body mass with that of their preferred prey is less than 1 and may be a reflection of their solitary hunting strategy. This model will allow us to predict the diet of leopards in areas where dietary information is lacking, also providing information to assist wildlife managers and conservation bodies on predator carrying capacity and predator–prey interactions.     

甘肃省豹的生存现状调查

豹曾广泛分布于甘肃省的陇中、陇东和陇南各地,但历史上大部分有豹分布地区的生境现已明显地不再适宜豹的生存。依据访问调查得到的信息并结合实地考察生境进行综合判断,目前豹存在可能性较大的地区有平凉地区的关山林业总场、张家川县马鹿林场、小陇山林业局张家林场和白水江国家级自然保护区。甘肃省豹濒危的主要原因是栖息地面积退缩,栖息地环境质量恶化,生境破碎化和人为猎捕。鉴于现阶段尚未查清豹的野生种群数量,应对豹及其猎物资源进行野外监测,采取积极有效的措施加强豹栖息地的保护与恢复。     

圈养金钱豹尿液中的挥发性成分分析

<正>哺乳动物的尿液挥发性成分被认为是同哺乳动物信息激素一样重要的物质,迄今报道的野生动物尿液挥发性成分研究的有狮(Panthera leo)(Andersen and Vulpius,1999)、山猫(Lynx rufus)(Mattina et al.,1991)、土狼(Canis lupus)(Raymer et al.,1986)、郊狼(Canis latrans)(Schultz,1988)、红狐(Vulpes vulpe)(Jorgensen et al.,1978)以及鼬科物种(Zhang et al.,2005)。Robert和Joseph(1991)利用山猫和土狼尿液气味抑制白尾鹿(Odocoileus leucurus)对日本     

Leopard (Panthera pardus) occupancy in the Chure range of Nepal

Conservation of large carnivores such as leopards requires large and interconnected habitats. Despite the wide geographic range of the leopard globally, only 17% of their habitat is within protected areas. Leopards are widely distributed in Nepal, but their population status and occupancy are poorly understood. We carried out the sign‐based leopard occupancy survey across the entire Chure range (~19,000 km²) to understand the habitat occupancy along with the covariates affecting their occupancy. Leopard signs were obtained from in 70 out of 223 grids surveyed, with a naïve leopard occupancy of 0.31. The model‐averaged leopard occupancy was estimated to be 0.5732 (SE 0.0082) with a replication‐level detection probability of 0.2554 (SE 0.1142). The top model shows the additive effect of wild boar, ruggedness, presence of livestock, and human population density positively affecting the leopard occupancy. The detection probability of leopard was higher outside the protected areas, less in the high NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) areas, and higher in the areas with livestock presence. The presence of wild boar was strong predictor of leopard occupancy followed by the presence of livestock, ruggedness, and human population density. Leopard occupancy was higher in west Chure (0.70 ± SE 0.047) having five protected areas compared with east Chure (0.46 ± SE 0.043) with no protected areas. Protected areas and prey species had positive influence on leopard occupancy in west Chure range. Similarly in the east Chure, the leopard occupancy increased with prey, NDVI, and terrain ruggedness. Enhanced law enforcement and mass awareness activities are necessary to reduce poaching/killing of wild ungulates and leopards in the Chure range to increase leopard occupancy. In addition, maintaining the sufficient natural prey base can contribute to minimize the livestock depredation and hence decrease the human–leopard conflict in the Chure range.     

Effects of odors on behaviors of captive Amur leopards Panthera pardus orientalis

Captive environments often fail to resemble the wild environment in respects of limited space,unchanging habitat,lack of stimulus and contingency. Common animal welfare problems which occur in captive animals include low behavioral diversity,abnormal behavior and excessive inactivity. Environmental enrichment,as an effective strategy to tackle these problems and promote mental health of captive animals,has been recognized as an important principal for captive animal management. Among all the enrichment techniques,olfactory enrichment is a simple and effective method for improving the well-being of the olfactory sensitive felids. Behavioral problems were observed in six Amur leopards Panthera pardus orientalis at Beijing Zoological Garden.These were held in the older type exhibits which have now been rebuilt. These behaviors include stereotypic behavior and excessive inactivity caused by the spatially limited enclosures with low levels of stimuli. To determine the effects of predator,prey,and herb odors as potential enrichment materials for captive leopards,we conducted olfactory enrichment experiments for the leopards and tested the effects of nutmeg Myristica fragrans,feces of roe deer Capreolus capreolus and urine of Amur tiger Panthera tigrisaltaica to test for an increase in behavioral repertoire and activity. Odors provided in this study were also believed to improve the psychological and physiological health of individuals. To standardize the method of presentation the odors were introduced to the enclosures by rubbing or spraying onto a clean towel. Our results show that the selected three odors effectively increased the behavioral diversity. Ten new behavior types were observed in the nutmeg experiment,eight in the feces of roe deer experiment and six in the tiger urine experiment. Among the three odors,cats responded to nutmeg for the longest duration,followed by tiger urine and feces of roe deer. Leopards showed more play behavior in presence of nutmeg while more investigatory behavior in presences of feces of roe deer and tiger urine. Providing novel odors increased the spatial use of the exhibit and the animal' s increased use of the logs,sleeping platforms and bars in the cages. Novel odors also significantly increased the overall activity of the leopards,but the effects were diminished in about three hours.     

The primary structure of hemoglobin from amur-leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis)

The complete amino acid sequence of the major component of hemoglobin from amur-leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) is presented. The major component accounts for more than 90% of the total hemoglobin. Separation of the globin subunits was achieved by ion-exchange chromatography on CM-cellulose in urea. The sequence was studied by automatic Edman degradation of tryptic and hydrolytic peptides. Alignment was carried out with human hemoglobin sequence. The β NH₂ terminus is blocked with Ac-serine. The data are compared with other mammalian hemoglobins and results are discussed with respect to sequence and physiology.     

Conservation genetics of the Far Eastern leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis)

The Far Eastern or Amur leopard (Panthera pardus orientalis) survives today as a tiny relict population of 25-40 individuals in the Russian Far East. The population descends from a 19th-century northeastern Asian subspecies whose range extended over southeastern Russia, the Korean peninsula, and northeastern China. A molecular genetic survey of nuclear microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence variation validates subspecies distinctiveness but also reveals a markedly reduced level of genetic variation. The amount of genetic diversity measured is the lowest among leopard subspecies and is comparable to the genetically depleted Florida panther and Asiatic lion populations. When considered in the context of nonphysiological perils that threaten small populations (e.g., chance mortality, poaching, climatic extremes, and infectious disease), the genetic and demographic data indicate a critically diminished wild population under severe threat of extinction. An established captive population of P. p. orientalis displays much higher diversity than the wild population sample, but nearly all captive individuals are derived from a history of genetic admixture with the adjacent Chinese subspecies, P. p. japonensis. The conservation management implications of potential restoration/augmentation of the wild population with immigrants from the captive population are discussed.     

Population dynamics of pedigree leopards,Panthera pardus ssp,in captivity

The demographic history of 4 races or subspecies of leopard, Panthera pardus, was reviewed from international studbook records dating back to 1953. The Chinese leopard has been the most common pedigree race maintained in captivity, a factor linked to the length of time (29 years) this subspecies has been in captivity. The relative youth of the wild-born founders also helped them to adjust to captivity as well as live long reproductive lives. Today, however, this race is suffering from the ill effects of inbreeding due to the small founder size. This condition appears to be correctable now that additional specimens have been located. Persian leopards have a larger founder size than the former race, but some of their ancestors were older animals at the time of acquisition. Because of this, their potential fecundity was probably depressed from psychological problems related to adjustment and a shorter life span in captivity. Two founding females experienced pelvic deformities while young, and few of their cubs survived because they all had to be delivered via caesarian section. This procedure also shortened the reproductive life of the females involved because the owning zoos refrained from breeding the animals in the leopards' later years. Captive leopards appear to live longer than their wild counterparts, although precise data on wild populations is not available. In captivity many reach 12–15 years old, and exceptional individuals of several races have lived 20 years. Most captive-born leopards begin breeding when they are 3 years old and continue until they are 8–10 years old. Reproduction in females usually ceases at 12–14 years, although males have a longer reproductive life, with several successfully breeding when 19–20 years old.     

Thanatological behavior of a female Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca)

acta ethologica - We report an observation at Jhalana Leopard Reserve (JLR), Jaipur, India. On 16 March 2019, we saw a female walking up the mountain while calling her two, 4-month-old, male and...     

Identification of individual leopards (Panthera pardus kotiya) using spot pattern variation

Twenty-one captive leopards (Panthera pardus kotiya) at the National Zoological Gardens in Sri Lanka were individually identified using spot pattern variation, Based on an identification method established for lions ( Panthera leo ), a code was devised examining 23 variable characters, each of which had one to three values. These characters ranged from number and spacing of muzzle spots to forehead and eye patterns. Correlation among characters to be used for identification was minimized using principal component cluster analysis. The most variable character was chosen from each of eight non-overlapping clusters, and frequencies were calculated for each character value. The probability of occurrence of a given spot pattern was calculated as the sum of the frequencies of each character value. From this probability of occurrence, the information content, in bits, was computed for each pattern. The number of bits per character was also calculated. Using the binomial theorem, the reliability of identification was estimated as the sum of the probabilities of zero or one individual having an identical combination of character values. These binomial probabilities exceeded 0.99 for 15 out of 21 animals, and 0.95 for all but two. In these two animals, the information content was low (5.99 and 5.50 bits, respectively) compared to the others, in which information content ranged from 6.87–10.86. Although the mean number of bits (8.5) was theoretically sufficient for a 99% reliable identification, it was concluded that supplementation with an additional character would be worthwhile for identification of individual leopards.     

Phylogenetics, genome diversity and origin of modern leopard, Panthera pardus

Leopards, Panthera pardus, are widely distributed across southern Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. The extent and phylogeographic patterns of molecular genetic diversity were addressed in a survey of 77 leopards from known geographical locales representing 13 of the 27 classical trinomial subspecies. Phylogenetic analysis of mitochondrial DNA sequences (727 bp of NADH5 and control region) and 25 polymorphic microsatellite loci revealed abundant diversity that could be partitioned into a minimum of nine discrete populations, tentatively named here as revised subspecies: P. pardus pardus, P. p. nimr, P. p. saxicolor, P. p. fusca, P. p. kotiya, P. p. delacouri, P. p. japonensis, P. p. orientalis and P. p. melas. However, because of limited sampling of African populations, this may be an underestimate of modern phylogeographic population structure. Combined phylogeographic and population diversity estimates support an origin for modern leopard lineages 470,000-825,000 years ago in Africa followed by their migration into and across Asia more recently (170,000-300,000 years ago). Recent demographic reductions likely have led to genetic impoverishment in P. p. orientalis and in the island subspecies P. p. kotiya.     

Correction to: Thanatological behavior of a female Leopard (Panthera pardus fusca)

acta ethologica - A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10211-021-00367-w