Historically, our country was also a big country of tigers and leopards, with a very abundant number of tigers and leopards. However, after the 1950s, due to large-scale hunting and habitat destruction, the number of tigers and leopards in our country dropped sharply. South China tigers simply disappeared from the wild.
The fate of leopards is better than that of South China tigers. Although they have been greatly reduced, there are still healthy populations in the hinterland of western Sichuan, Qinling Mountains, Taihang Mountains, Northeastern mountain forests and other deep mountain forests with rare human traces.
Later, as the ecological environment was restored, the awareness of animal protection gradually became popular. The habitat of my country's big cats has been significantly improved, and the number of leopards has gradually increased. A past scientific survey of leopard populations across the country found that leopard populations across the country are showing a recovery trend.
The number of leopards has increased, and they are more common than before. Recently, staff from the Luliang Mountain State-owned Forest Management Bureau in Shanxi Province discovered the activities of North China leopards when they were sorting out data captured by infrared cameras. image.
Judging from the released pictures, there are three leopards in total. One is strong and has well-developed limbs. It is obviously larger than the other two leopards. It should be a female leopard. The other two leopards are much smaller and should be two young cubs.
The little leopard followed the mother leopard and jumped all the way. The scene was very interesting. They went all the way up the hillside. It seemed that the mother leopard was taking the cubs out to practice and teach them how to search for prey traces, capture prey and other survival skills.
"Three leopards" are in the same frame, a rare scene
The scientific name of leopards is "Leopards". Because the patterns on their bodies resemble ancient Chinese copper coins, they are also called "Leopards" in Chinese folk. It's called "Golden Leopard". There are 9 subspecies of leopards in the world, 4 of which live in my country, namely: Amur leopard, North China leopard, Indian leopard and Indochinese leopard.
The North China leopard is a subspecies of the golden leopard and is the only leopard that exists only in my country. It is mainly distributed in Ningxia, Shaanxi, Shanxi, Hebei and other North China provinces.
According to 2019 data from the World Conservation Union, there are 8 areas in my country where North China leopards are confirmed to exist. The number of wild North China leopards is about 1,500, of which Shanxi is the province with the largest number.
Although the number of leopards in our country is increasing and the probability of seeing them is increasing, it is still very rare for "three leopards" to be in the same frame like this.
Among all cats, only lions truly live in groups, and the rest of the cats live solitary lives. As a large cat, the leopard is less attractive than small cats. For animals, they will be even more lonely.
Adult leopards usually move alone. Only during the estrus period, the paired male and female leopards will live together briefly. Another situation is that the female leopard With a baby.
Female teaching, searching for prey
The territory of a male leopard often intersects with the territory of 2-5 female leopards, usually between 4 and 4 of each year. They come into heat in May. During the heat period, the male leopard and the female leopard will stay together until the female leopard becomes pregnant and becomes anxious and aggressive. At this time, the male leopard will leave without hesitation.
The female leopard’s temperament The gestation period is 90-106 days, so the cubs are most likely to be born between June and July. During this season, the number of prey in the forest is relatively abundant, which is the best period for raising children.
Leopards can give birth to 1-4 babies in one litter. Only, 2 of them are the most common. Of course, in a captive environment, the number of female leopards may be slightly more, with the highest record being 6.
Newborn leopard cubs They are very fragile and cannot open their eyes until 10 days later. Therefore, the newborn leopard cubs are highly dependent on the mother leopard. In order to better take care of the cubs, the mother leopard will improve her efficiency during the nurturing period. Including moving faster, becoming more aggressive in hunting strategies, and being willing to try to catch larger prey.
In about four months, the cubs will be completely weaned, and then the female leopard will The cubs will gradually be taught various survival skills. Half-grown leopards will often follow the mother leopard, learning and practicing at the same time. At this stage, we can see multiple leopards moving and hunting together.
For example, the scene people photographed this time is such a situation. The mother leopard takes the cubs along the hillside to search for prey and teach them various survival skills. Until 18-24 months old, the cubs can Living completely independently, if the female leopard goes into heat again, the cub will leave the female leopard and live a solitary life.
If there is no tiger in the forest, the leopard will be king
The golden leopard is the most successful One of the most powerful cats, they have strong adaptability. Whether it is the forests and snowfields of the Northeast, the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia, or the savannas of Africa, they can survive.
In The North China leopard that appears in Shanxi isThey like to live in mountain forests and hilly shrubs. Shanxi is one of the provinces with the best forest environment in North China. It has a large number of basic prey such as roe deer and wild boars, which leopards can prey on. Therefore, Shanxi is also the province with the largest number of wild North China leopards in my country, and the number may reach 1,000. There have been several sightings over the past few years.
In Chinese folk, leopards have always been known as the "two kings". The tiger is undoubtedly the king of the forest, and in the forest ecosystem, the leopard's ecological niche is second only to the tiger, so it is called the "two kings".
However, South China tigers were hunted in large numbers in the last century, causing them to disappear in the wild. Therefore, there are no tigers in most forests in our country, including the habitats of Shanxi leopards.
With no tigers in the forest, leopards naturally took over. They took over most of the ecological niches of tigers and became the new king of beasts in the forest.
As a flagship species in the forest ecosystem, leopards are becoming more and more common, proving that our country’s ecological environment is getting better and better, which is something to be happy about. However, as leopard numbers increase, so will the number of sightings.
It is worth mentioning that when we encounter leopards in the wild, we must not disturb them excessively to avoid the impact of human activities on them. At the same time, you should also be alert to the dangers posed by leopards and prevent them from hurting people or preying on livestock.