Leopard

The leopard is a large cat with one of the widest geographic ranges of any wild cat species, found across parts of sub-Saharan Africa and fragmented areas of the Middle East and Asia, recognized by its tawny to golden coat covered in dark rosette-shaped spots, distinguishable from the jaguar's rosettes by lacking a central spot. It is an exceptionally adaptable and stealthy predator, equally at home in dense rainforest, open savanna, mountains or semi-desert, and it is renowned for its strength relative to its size, often hauling prey carcasses far larger than itself up into trees to keep them safe from other predators and scavengers. Leopards are solitary and mainly nocturnal, and although the species as a whole remains present across a broad range, it is classified as vulnerable due to habitat loss, declining prey and conflict with humans, with several regional subspecies far more severely threatened.