II.

RANGE AND HABITAT

The leopard has the largest geographic range of any cat. It is found throughout most of Africa south of the Sahara and in parts of North Africa. Its range includes parts of the Middle East and extends east into India, southeastern Asia, and parts of northern Asia. Surprisingly, in Indonesia leopards are found on Java but there are no records of them on the larger islands of Sumatra and Borneo, which are closer to mainland Asia. Leopards also lived in Europe until the end of the last ice age around 11,000 years ago.

Leopards can cope with almost all imaginable living conditions and habitats. They thrive in places as diverse as savannas and grasslands, open woodlands and rain forests, as well as in Africa’s Kalahari Desert and the freezing Amur region of Russia. Leopards are so stealthy, bold, and versatile that they have survived in areas where other large carnivores have been exterminated. They are able to live within sight and sound of people more effectively than any other big cat. Leopards live in the suburbs of Nairobi and other African cities, and often patrol Indian villages at night in search of unwary dogs.