The Sri Lankan Leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya), ‘Kotiya’ in Sinhala and ‘Puli’ in Tamil is one of the 8 recognized Leopard sub species found today.
The Leopard is a part of the family of cats known as the pantherines which the Lion, Tiger and Jaguar are part of. The Sri Lankan Leopard has been classified by the IUCN as endangered and the population is believed to be declining due to poaching and conflict with humans.
The Leopard is a solitary cat and comes into contact with other Leopards during times of mating or territory disputes, however studies in Yala National Park show that the males remain close to the cubs until they leave the mother due to the ever present danger of other males killing the young.
The Leopard which was once widespread across the island can now be seen in a few remaining strong-holds namely Yala National Park in the South East and Wilpattu National Park in North West. There are also scattered populations in unprotected and protected areas scattered all over the island.
Yala National Park is now said to have the highest density of Leopard (in the world) per square kilometre and is the best place to see Leopard in the wild. Wilpattu National Park too has a high density of Leopards and is Sri Lanka’s oldest and largest National Park.
In Sri Lanka the Leopard is the apex predator and this is because of the lack of other larger predators. The only threat to Leopards is other Leopards and humans. The Sri Lankan Leopard is the largest of the Leopards with the exception of the Amur Leopard.
The Leopard can be identified by its tawny coat which has close set rosettes on it. These spots are a Leopard’s identity. When it comes to the Sri Lankan Leopard, the males are 30-40 percent larger than females. Females have a gestation period of around 90-105 days and can give birth to litters of up to 4 cubs.
Elsewhere in the world the cub mortality rate is very high but that does not seem to be the case in Sri Lanka as the number of cubs reaching adulthood is much greater.
Leopards are opportunistic hunters and will feed on anything unlike the other big cats which means that a Leopard is extremely adaptable; this is true also in the terrain that the Leopard is found in, in Sri Lanka for example the Leopard is found in low-lying dry zone forests and also in rainforests and mountainous forests, showing that it is indeed most adaptable of the big cats.
(Article and pics by Avijja Fonseka)
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