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{{Speciesbox
| name = Pard
| fossil_range = Late [[Pliocene]] or Early [[Pleistocene]] to recent
| image = African leopard, Panthera pardus pardus, near Lake Panic, Kruger National Park, South Africa (19448654130).jpg
| image_caption = African pard<br>(''Panthera pardus pardus'')
| status = VU
| status_system = IUCN3.1
| taxon = Panthera pardus
| authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]])
| subdivision_ranks = [[Subspecies]]
| subdivision = see [[#Subspecies|text]]
| range_map = Leopard distribution.gif
| range_map_caption = Range of the pard: former (red), uncertain (yellow), highly fragmented (light green), and present (dark green) 
| synonyms = ''Felis pardus'' <small>[[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|1758]]</small>
}}

The '''pard''' (''Panthera pardus'') {{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|ɛ|p|ər|d}} is one of the five [[species]] in the [[Genus (biology)|genus]] ''[[Panthera]]'', a member of the [[Felidae]]. The pard occurs in a wide range in [[sub-Saharan Africa]] and parts of [[Asia]] and is listed as [[Vulnerable species|Vulnerable]] on the [[IUCN Red List]] because pard populations are threatened by [[habitat loss]] and fragmentation, and are declining in large parts of the global range. In [[Hong Kong]], [[Singapore]], [[Kuwait]], [[Syria]], [[Libya]], [[Tunisia]] and most likely in [[Morocco]], pard populations have already been [[Local extinction|extirpated]].
Contemporary records suggest that the pard occurs in only 25% of its historical global range.
Pards are hunted illegally, and their body parts are smuggled in the [[wildlife trade]] for medicinal practices and decoration.

Compared to other wild cats, the pard has relatively short legs and a long body with a large skull. It is similar in appearance to the [[jaguar]], but generally has a smaller, lighter physique. Its fur is marked with [[rosette (zoology)|rosettes]] similar to those of the jaguar, but the pard's rosettes are smaller and more densely packed and do not usually have central spots as the jaguar's do. Both pards and jaguars that are [[melanistic]] are known as [[black panther]]s. The pard is distinguished by its well-camouflaged fur, [[generalist and specialist species|opportunistic]] hunting behaviour, broad diet, and strength (which it uses to move heavy carcasses into trees), as well as its ability to adapt to various habitats ranging from rainforest to steppe, including arid and montane areas, and its ability to run at speeds of up to {{Convert|58|km/h|mph}}.

Fossil records suggest that in the [[Late Pleistocene]] it occurred in [[Europe]] and [[Japan]].

==Etymology==
The common name "pard" {{IPAc-en|ˈ|l|ɛ|.|p|ər|d}} is a [[Greek language|Greek]] [[compound (linguistics)|compound]] of {{lang|grc|λέων}} ''leōn'' ("lion") and {{lang|grc|πάρδος}} ''pardos'' ("male panther"). The Greek word is related to [[Sanskrit language|Sanskrit]] {{lang|sa|पृदाकु}} {{IAST|''pṛdāku''}} ("snake", "tiger" or "panther"), and probably derives from a [[Mediterranean region|Mediterranean]] language, such as [[Egyptian language|Egyptian]]. The name was first used in the 13th century. Other vernacular names for the pard include graupanther, panther and several regional names such as ''tendwa'' in India. The term "black panther" refers to pards with [[melanism|melanistic]] [[gene]]s.

The [[scientific name]] of the pard is ''Panthera pardus''. The [[Generic name (biology)|generic name]] ''Panthera'' derives from [[Latin language|Latin]] via Greek πάνθηρ (''pánthēr''). The term "panther", whose first recorded use dates back to the 13th century AD, generally refers to the pard, and less often to the [[cougar]] and the [[jaguar]]. Alternative origins suggested for ''Panthera'' include an [[Indo-Iranian languages|Indo-Iranian]] word meaning "white-yellow" or "pale". In Sanskrit, this could have been derived from पाण्डर ''pāṇḍara'' ("tiger"), which in turn comes from पुण्डरीक ''puṇḍárīka'' (with the same meaning). The [[Specific name (zoology)|specific name]] ''pardus'' is derived from the Greek {{lang|grc|πάρδος}} (''pardos'') ("male panther").

== Taxonomy ==
[[File:Two cladograms for Panthera.svg|thumb|left|Two cladograms proposed for ''[[Panthera]]''. The upper cladogram is based on the 2006 and 2009 studies, while the other is based on the 2010 and 2011 studies.]]
The pard is one of the five extant [[species]] of the [[genus (biology)|genus]] ''[[Panthera]]'', which also includes the [[User:Jaspergeli/Jaguar|jaguar]] (''P. onca''), the [[User:Jaspergeli/Lion|lion]] (''P. leo''), the [[User:Jaspergeli/Ounce|snow pard]] (''P. uncia'') and the [[User:Jaspergeli/Tiger|tiger]] (''P. tigris''). This genus, along with the genus ''[[Neofelis]]'' forms the [[subfamily]] [[Pantherinae]].

The pard was first described by Swedish zoologist [[Carl Linnaeus]] in the [[10th edition of Systema Naturae|10th edition of ''Systema Naturae'']]. Linnaeus named the pard ''Felis pardus'' and placed it in the genus ''[[Felis]]'' along with the [[domestic cat]], the jaguar, the [[Eurasian lynx]], the lion, the [[ocelot]] and the tiger. In the 18th and 19th centuries, most naturalists and [[Linnaean taxonomy|taxonomists]] followed his example. In 1816, [[Lorenz Oken]] proposed a definition of the genus ''Panthera'', with a [[subgenus]] ''Panthera'' using ''F. pardus'' as a [[type species]]. Oken's classification was not widely accepted, and ''Felis'' or ''[[pardus]]'' was used until the early 20th century. In 1916, British zoologist [[Reginald Innes Pocock]] accorded ''Panthera'' generic rank based on ''Panthera pardus'' as the type species.

=== Subspecies ===
[[File:Panthera pardus subspecies map.png|thumbnail|upright 1.4|Map of approximate distribution of pard subspecies]]
Following Linnaeus's first description, 27 pard subspecies were described by naturalists between 1794 and 1956. Since 1996, only eight subspecies have been considered [[valid name (zoology)|valid]] on the basis of [[mitochondrial]] analysis. Later analysis revealed a ninth valid subspecies, the Arabian pard.

The nine subspecies recognized by the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]] (IUCN) are summarised in the following table. Since 2017, the Cat Classification Task Force of the [[IUCN Species Survival Commission#Cat Specialist Group|Cat Specialist Group]] recognizes only eight subspecies and subsumed ''P. p. ciscaucasica'' to ''P. p. tulliana'', and ''P. p. japonensis'' to ''P. p. orientalis''.

{{clear}}
{| class="wikitable"
|+ pard subspecies
! Subspecies !! Description !! Image
|-
|African pard (''P. p. pardus'') <small>(Linnaeus, 1758), [[Synonym (taxonomy)|syn.]] ''P. p. panthera'' ([[Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber|Schreber]], 1777), ''P. p. pardus'' (Schreber, 1777), ''P. p. melanotica'' (Gunther, 1885), ''P. p. suahelicus'' ([[Oscar Neumann|Neumann]], 1900), ''P. p. nanopardus'' ([[Oldfield Thomas|Thomas]], 1904), ''P. p. ruwenzorii'' (Camerano, 1906), ''P. p. chui'' ([[Edmund Heller|Heller]], 1913), ''P. p. reichenowi'' (Cabrera, 1918), ''P. p. antinorii'' (de Beaux, 1923), ''P. p. iturensis'' ([[Joel Asaph Allen|Allen]], 1924), ''P. p. adusta'' [[Reginald Innes Pocock|Pocock]], 1927, ''P. p. shortridgei'' Pocock, 1932, ''P. p. adersi'' Pocock, 1932</small>
 ||It lives in [[sub-Saharan Africa]] and is the most widespread pard subspecies.

*[[North Africa]]: extinct in [[Algeria]], [[Libya]], and [[Tunisia]]; a [[Relict (biology)|relict population]] in [[Morocco]] and southeastern [[Egypt]]
*[[West Africa]]: [[Benin]], [[Burkina Faso]], [[Ghana]], [[Guinea]], [[Guinea-Bissau]], [[Ivory Coast]], [[Liberia]], [[Mali]], [[Mauritania]], [[Niger]], [[Nigeria]], [[Senegal]], [[Sierra Leone]], [[Togo]]
*[[East Africa]]: [[Burundi]], [[Djibouti]], [[Eritrea]], [[Ethiopia]], [[Kenya]], [[Tanzania]], [[Somalia]], [[South Sudan]], [[Sudan]], [[Rwanda]], [[Uganda]]
*[[Central Africa]]: [[Cameroon]], [[Central African Republic]], [[Chad]], [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], [[Gabon]], [[Republic of the Congo]],
*[[Southern Africa]]: [[Angola]], [[Botswana]], [[Malawi]], [[Mozambique]], [[Namibia]], [[South Africa]], [[Swaziland]], [[Zambia]] and [[Zimbabwe]]
 ||[[File:Leopard (Panthera pardus).jpg|frameless]]

|-
|Indian pard (''P. p. fusca'') <small>(Meyer, 1794), syn. ''P. p. pernigra'' (Hodgson, 1863), ''P. p. millardi'' Pocock, 1930</small>
 ||It is native to the [[Indian subcontinent]]: [[India]], [[Nepal]], [[Bhutan]], [[Pakistan]] and [[Bangladesh]].
 ||[[File:Nagarhole Kabini Karnataka India, Leopard September 2013.jpg|frameless]]

|-
|Javan pard (''P. p. melas'') <small>([[Georges Cuvier|G. Cuvier]], 1809)</small>
 ||It is the only subspecies native to [[Indonesia]] and lives on [[Java (island)|Java]]. It is [[Critically endangered species|Critically Endangered]].
 ||[[File:Panthera_pardus_close_up-2.jpg|frameless]]

|-
|Arabian pard (''P. p. nimr'') <small>([[Wilhelm Hemprich|Hemprich]] and [[Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg|Ehrenberg]], 1833), syn. ''P. p. jarvisi'' Pocock, 1932</small>
 ||It is the smallest pard subspecies; adult females weigh about {{convert|18|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. It is native to the [[Arabian Peninsula]]: [[Saudi Arabia]], [[Oman]], [[Yemen]], [[Kuwait]], the [[United Arab Emirates]], [[Israel]], [[Jordan]], [[Lebanon]] and [[Syria]]. It is considered extinct in the [[Sinai Peninsula]].
 ||[[File:PikiWiki Israel 14861 judean desert leopard cropped.JPG|frameless]]

|-	
|Anatolian pard (''P. p. tulliana'') <small>([[Achille Valenciennes|Valenciennes]], 1856)</small>, syn. Persian pard (''P. p. ciscaucasica'') <small>([[Konstantin Satunin|Satunin]], 1914)</small>, <small>''P. p. saxicolor'' Pocock, 1927, ''P. p. sindica'' Pocock, 1930, ''P. p. dathei'' Zukowsky, 1964</small>
 ||pard populations persist in eastern [[Turkey]], the [[Caucasus]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Armenia]], southern [[Russia]], [[Azerbaijan]], [[Turkmenistan]], [[Uzbekistan]], [[Afghanistan]], [[Iraq]] and northern [[Iran]].

In southwestern Turkey, the pard is extinct. The Balochistan pard possibly evolved in southern Iran, southern Afghanistan, and southwestern Pakistan, being separated from the northern population by the [[Dasht-e Kavir]] and [[Dasht-e Lut]] deserts.
 ||[[File:Leopard3.jpg|frameless]]

|-	
|Amur pard (''P. p. orientalis'') <small>([[Hermann Schlegel|Schlegel]], 1857)</small> syn. North-Chinese pard (''P. p. japonensis'') <small>([[John Edward Gray|Gray]], 1862)</small>
 ||It is native to central and northern China, and the [[Russian Far East]]. It is considered to be extinct in the [[Korean peninsula]]. Populations are rather small.
 ||[[File:Panthera pardus japonensis JdP.jpg|frameless]]

|-
|Indochinese pard (''P. p. delacouri'') <small>Pocock, 1930</small>
 ||It inhabits mainland Southeast Asia, including [[Myanmar]], [[Thailand]], [[Malaysia]], [[Cambodia]], [[Laos]], [[Vietnam]] and [[South China]].
 ||[[File:Indochinese leopard.jpg|frameless]]

|-
|Sri Lankan pard (''P. p. kotiya'') <small>Deraniyagala, 1956</small>
 ||It is native to [[Sri Lanka]].
 ||[[File:Slleo1.jpg|frameless]]
|}

== Evolution and genetics ==
The last common ancestor of the ''Panthera'' and ''Neofelis'' species is believed to have occurred about 6.37 million years ago. The clouded pard was the first to diverge from the rest of the ''Panthera'' lineage, followed by the snow pard. The genus ''Panthera'' is believed to have emerged in Asia, from where they subsequently emigrated to Africa. The tiger-snow pard clade diverged from the rest of ''Panthera'' around 2.9 million years ago. Johnson and colleagues suggest that the pard diverged next, and followed by the lion-jaguar clade.

The [[diploidy|diploid]] number of [[chromosome]]s in the pard is 38, the same as in any other felid, save for the [[ocelot]] and the [[margay]], whose diploid number of chromosomes is 36. The chromosomes include four [[acrocentric]], five [[Centromere#Metacentric|metacentric]], seven [[submetacentric]] and two [[telocentric]] pairs.

The pard is part of the ''Panthera'' lineage, one of the eight lineages of Felidae. This lineage comprises the species of ''Panthera'' and ''Neofelis''. The clouded pard diverged first from the lineage, followed by a [[clade]] consisting of the tiger and the snow pard. Subsequent branching began two to three million years ago, but the details of this are disputed.

Results of [[phylogenetic]] studies based on [[nDNA]] and [[mtDNA]] analysis showed that the pard is a [[sister taxon]] to a clade within ''Panthera'' consisting of the lion and the jaguar. However, results of a different phylogenetic study revealed a swapping between the pard and the jaguar in the [[cladogram]]. Results of 2001 [[phylogenetic]] analysis of chemical secretions amongst cats also suggested that the pard is closely related to the lion.

Fossils of ancestors of the pard have been found in [[East Africa]] and [[South Asia]], dating back to the [[Pleistocene]] between 2 and 3.5 million years ago. The modern pard is suggested to have evolved in Africa 0.5 to 0.8 million years ago and to have [[Radiation (biology)|radiated]] across Asia 0.2 to 0.3 million years ago.

In Europe, the pard is known at least since the Pleistocene. Fossil bones and teeth dating from the [[Pliocene]] were found in [[Perrier, Puy-de-Dôme|Perrier]] in [[France]], northeast of [[London]], and in [[Valdarno]] ([[Italy]]). Similar fossils dating back to the [[Pleistocene]] were excavated mostly in [[loess]] and caves at 40 sites in the continent - from near [[Lisbon]], near [[Gibraltar]], and [[Santander Province]] in northern [[Spain]] to several sites in France, [[Switzerland]], Italy, [[Austria]], [[Germany]], in the north up to [[Derby]] in [[England]], in the east to [[Přerov]] in the [[Czech Republic]], and the [[Baranya (region)|Baranya]] in southern [[Hungary]], and in Biśnik Cave in south-central [[Poland]].
The Pleistocene pards of Europe can be divided into four subsequent subspecies. The first European pard subspecies ''P. p. begoueni'' is known from the beginning of the early Pleistocene and was replaced about 0.6 million years ago by ''P. p. sickenbergi'', which in turn was replaced by ''P. p. antiqua'' around 0.3 million years ago. The most recent form, the European Ice Age pard (''P. p. spelaea''), appeared at the beginning of the [[Late Pleistocene]] and survived until about 24,000 years ago in several parts of Europe.

Pleistocene fossils have also been excavated in the [[Japanese archipelago]].

=== Hybrids ===
[[File:Pumapard-1904.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Pumapard]], 1904]]
[[Crossbreeding]] between the pard and the other members of the ''Panthera'' has been documented. In 1953, a lioness and a male pard were mated in the Hanshin Park in [[Nishinomiya, Japan]]. The first litter from this pairing was born on 2 November 1959, consisting of a male and a female. Another litter was born in 1961, in which all the offspring were spotted and bigger than a juvenile pard. The hybrid came to be known as "leopon". Unsuccessful attempts were made to mate a leopon with a tigress.

Although lions and pards may come into contact in sub-Saharan Africa, they are generally not known to interbreed naturally. However, there have been anecdotal reports of felids larger than the cheetah but smaller than the lion, with a lion-like face, from the Central African Republic, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda. This animal, known as the [[marozi]] and by several other names, is covered with grayish spots or rosettes on the back, the flanks and the legs. However, there have been no confirmed sightings of the marozi since the 1930s.

A pumapard is a hybrid animal resulting from a mating between a pard and a [[Cougar|puma]] (a member of the genus ''Puma'', not the genus ''Panthera''). Three sets of these hybrids were bred in the late 1890s and early 1900s by [[Carl Hagenbeck]] at his animal park in [[Hamburg, Germany]]. While most of these animals did not reach adulthood, one of these was purchased in 1898 by the [[Berlin Zoo]]. A similar hybrid in the Berlin Zoo purchased from Hagenbeck was a cross between a male pard and a female puma. A specimen in the [[Zoological Garden of Hamburg|Hamburg Zoo]] (in the photo at right) was the reverse pairing, fathered by a puma bred to an Indian pardess. The pumapard is characterized by a long body like the puma's, but with shorter legs. The hybrid is, in general, a dwarf, smaller than either parent. The coat is variously described as sandy, tawny or greyish with brown, chestnut or faded rosettes.

== Characteristics ==
[[File:Leopard africa.jpg|thumb|left|upright|African pard at [[Serengeti National Park]], [[Tanzania]]]]
The pard's skin color varies by climate and habitat from pale yellow to yellowish brown or golden. Pards living in forests are darker than those in arid habitats. Spots fade toward the white underbelly and the insides and lower parts of the legs. [[rosette (zoology)|Rosette]]s are most prominent on the back, flanks, and hindquarters. The pattern of the rosettes is unique in each individual.
Rosettes are circular in East African pard populations and tend to be squarish in Southern African and larger in Asian populations. The fur tends to be grayish tones in colder climates and to a darker golden hue in [[rainforest]] habitats.

Its white-tipped tail is about {{convert|60|–|100|cm}} long, white underneath and with spots that form incomplete bands toward the tails' end. Its fur is generally soft and thick, notably softer on the belly than on the back.
It tends to grow longer in colder climates. The guard hairs protecting the basal hairs are short ({{convert|3|–|4|mm|in}}) in face and head, and increase in length toward the flanks and the belly to about {{convert|25|–|30|mm|in}}. Juveniles have woolly fur and appear dark due to the densely arranged spots.

The pard is [[sexually dimorphic]], males are larger and heavier than females. It is also muscular, with relatively short limbs and a broad head. Males stand {{convert|60|-|70|cm|in|abbr=on}} at the shoulder, while females are {{convert|57|-|64|cm|in|abbr=on}} tall. The head-and-body length is typically between {{convert|90|and|190|cm|in|abbr=on}}. While males weigh {{convert|37|-|90|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, females weigh {{convert|28|-|60|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. These measurements vary geographically. Usually, pards are larger in areas where they are at the top of the food chain, with no competitive restriction from larger predators such as the lion and tiger. The maximum weight of a pard is about {{Convert|96|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, recorded in [[Southern Africa]], and the longest is {{convert|262|cm|in|abbr=on}}, which was matched by an Indian pard that was killed in [[Himachal Pradesh]], in 2016.

The pard is often confused with the [[cheetah]]; however, the cheetah is marked with small round spots instead of the larger rosettes. Moreover, the pard lacks the facial tear streaks characteristic of the cheetah. Other similar species are the clouded pard and [[jaguar]]. The clouded pard can be told apart by the diffuse "clouds" of spots compared to the smaller and distinct rosettes of the pard, longer legs and thinner tail. The jaguar has rosettes that typically have spots on them, while those of pards often do not. Moreover, the jaguar has larger and rounder foot pads and a larger skull.

=== Variant coloration ===
[[File:Blackleopard.JPG|thumb|[[Melanism|Melanistic]] pard or black panther]]
Melanistic pards are also called [[black panther]]s. Pseudomelanism (abundism) also occurs in pards.
Melanism in pards is inherited as a trait relatively [[Recessive trait|recessive]] to the spotted form. Interbreeding in melanistic pards produces a significantly smaller litter size than is produced by normal pairings.

The black panther is common in the [[equatorial rainforest]] of the [[Malay Peninsula]] and the [[tropical rainforest]] on the slopes of some African mountains such as [[Mount Kenya]].
Between January 1996 and March 2009, Indochinese pards were photographed at 16 sites in the Malay Peninsula in a sampling effort of more than 1000 [[camera trap]] nights. Of the 445 photographs of melanistic pards, 410 came from study sites south of the [[Kra Isthmus]], where the non-melanistic morph was never photographed. This data suggests the near fixation of the dark allele in the region. The expected time for the fixation of this recessive allele due to [[genetic drift]] alone ranged from about 1,100 years to about 100,000 years. Pseudo-melanism has also been reported in pards.

Pards exhibiting [[erythrism]] have been very rarely reported. This form is known as the 'strawberry' pard due to its coloration, caused by a little-understood genetic condition that causes either an overproduction of red pigments or an underproduction of dark pigments. A review of the literature showed that there are five historic records from India, and a further seven records in the past two decades from South Africa, with the first photographed in South Africa's [[Madikwe Game Reserve]].

== Distribution and habitat ==
[[File:Sousse museum Smirat-retouched.jpg|thumb|Pards on the [[Magerius Mosaic]] from modern Tunisia. Numerous Roman mosaics from North African sites depict fauna now found only in [[tropical Africa]].]]
[[File:A leopard on the tree in the Serengeti Plain.JPG|thumb|left|A pard and her cub on the tree in the Serengeti savanna.]]
The pard has the largest distribution of all wild cats, occurring widely in [[Africa]] as well as eastern and southern [[Asia]], although populations have shown a declining trend, and are fragmented outside of [[sub-Saharan Africa]]. Within sub-Saharan Africa, the species is still numerous and even thriving in marginal habitats where other large cats have disappeared, although there is considerable potential for human-pard conflict due to pards predating livestock. Populations in [[North Africa]] may be [[extinct]]. Data on their distribution in [[Asia]] are not consistent. Populations in the southwest and central Asia are small and fragmented; in the northeast, they are critically endangered. In the [[Indian subcontinent]], [[Southeast Asia]], and [[China]], pards are still relatively abundant. Of the species as a whole, its numbers are greater than those of other ''Panthera'' species, all of which face more acute conservation concerns.

Pards are exceptionally adaptable, although associated primarily with [[savanna]] and [[rainforest]]. Populations thrive anywhere in the species range where [[grassland]]s, [[woodland]]s, and riverine forests remain largely undisturbed. In the [[Russian Far East]], they inhabit [[temperate coniferous forest|temperate forests]] where winter temperatures reach a low of {{convert|−25|°C|°F}}. They are equally adept surviving in some of the world's most humid rainforests and even semi-arid desert edges.

Pards in the west and central Asia avoid deserts and areas with long snow cover and areas close to urban centers. In [[India]], pard populations sometimes live quite close to human settlements and even in semi-developed areas. Although occasionally adaptable to human disturbances, pards require healthy prey populations and appropriate vegetative cover for hunting for prolonged survival and thus rarely linger in heavily developed areas. Due to the pard's superlative stealthiness, people often remain unaware that big cats live in nearby areas.

== Ecology and behavior ==
[[File:Leopard on the tree.jpg|thumb|right|Pard resting on a tree]]
Pards, like lions and tigers, tend to be [[nocturnality|nocturnal]] (active mainly at night). However, pards in western African forests have been observed to be largely [[diurnality|diurnal]] and hunt during twilight, when their prey animals are active; activity patterns may even vary by season. Pards generally are active mainly from dusk till dawn, and rest for most of the day and for some hours at night in thickets, among rocks or over tree branches. Pards have been observed walking {{convert|1|–|25|km|mi}} across their range at night; they may even wander up to {{convert|75|km|mi}} if disturbed.

Pards are known for their ability to climb and have been observed resting on tree branches during the day, dragging their kills up trees and hanging them there, and descending from trees headfirst. They are powerful swimmers, although are not as disposed to swimming as some other big cats, such as the tiger. They are very agile, and can run at over {{Convert|58|km/h|mph}}, leap over {{Convert|6|m|ft}} horizontally, and jump up to {{Convert|3|m|ft}} vertically.

=== Social spacing ===
{{Multiple image
| direction = horizontal
| align = top
| header = Leopard visual communication
| width1 = 150
| image1 = Leopard rear view soft.jpg
| caption1 = Female showing white spots on the back of the ears [[Eyespot (mimicry)|(ocelli)]] used to communicate with other pards.
| width2 = 150
| image2 = Leopard walking.jpg
| caption2 = Female pard showing the white spot on the tail used for communicating with cubs while hunting or in long grass.
}}

The pard is solitary and [[Territory (animal)|territorial]], as are several other felids; individuals associate appreciably only in the mating season, though mothers may continue to interact with their offspring even after weaning. Mothers have been observed sharing kills with their offspring when they can not obtain any meal. In [[Kruger National Park]], most pards tend to keep {{convert|1|km|mi}} apart. Fathers may interact with their partners and cubs at times and exceptionally this can extend beyond to two generations. Aggressive encounters are rare, typically limited to defending territories from intruders. In a South African reserve, a male was wounded in a male-male territorial battle over a carcass. A few instances of [[cannibalism (zoology)|cannibalism]] have been reported.

Pards communicate with each other in the tall grass using white spots on their ears and tails. They also produce a number of vocalizations, including growls, snarls, meows, and purrs. The [[roaring]] sequence in pards consists mainly of grunts and is also known called "sawing", having been described as resembling the sound of sawing wood. Cubs are known to call their mother with a ''urr-urr'' sound.

Males occupy territories that often overlap with a few smaller female territories, probably as a strategy to enhance access to females. A radio-collar analysis in the [[Ivory Coast]] found a female home range completely enclosed within a male's. Female live with their cubs in territories that overlap extensively{{snd}}probably due to the association between mothers and their offspring. There may be a few other fluctuating territories, belonging to young individuals. It is not clear if male territories tend to overlap among themselves as much as those of females do. Individuals will try to drive away intruders of the same sex.

A study of pards in the Namibian farmlands showed that the size of territories was not significantly affected by sex, rainfall patterns or season; it concluded that the higher the prey availability in an area, the greater the population density of pards and the smaller the size of territories, but territories tend to expand if there is human interference (which has been notably high in the study area). Territorial sizes vary geographically; they can be as small as {{convert|33|–|38|sqkm|sqmi}} for males and {{convert|14|–|16|sqkm|sqmi}} for females in forests and rocky terrain (such as in the [[Serengeti]] or Kruger National Park), or as large as {{convert|451|sqkm|sqmi}} for males and {{convert|188|sqkm|sqmi}} for females in northeastern Namibia (they might be even larger in deserts and montane areas). Territories recorded in Nepal, {{convert|48|sqkm|sqmi}} for males and {{Convert|5|–|7|sqkm|sqmi}} for females, are smaller than those generally observed in Africa.

=== Hunting and diet ===
{{Multiple image
| direction = vertical
| align = top
| header = Stages of pard hunting prey
| width1 = 220
| image1 = Leopard (Panthera pardus pardus) stalking.jpg
| caption1 = Stalking
| width2 = 220
| image2 = Leopard kill - KNP - 001.jpg
| caption2 = Killing young [[bushbuck]]
| width3 = 220
| image3 = Leopard,_by_G_Keith_Douce,_University_of_Georgia.jpg
| caption3 = Dragging kill
| width4 = 220
| image4 = Panthera pardus -Ngala Game Reserve, Limpopo, South Africa -with kill in tree-8.jpg
| caption4 = Caching kill in a tree 
}}
The pard depends mainly on its acute sense of hearing and vision for hunting. It primarily hunts at night in most areas. In western African forests and Tsavo National Park, pards have been also observed hunting by day.

The pard is a [[carnivore]] that prefers medium-sized prey with a body mass ranging from {{convert|10|–|40|kg|lb|abbr=on}}. Prey species in this weight range tend to occur in dense habitat and to form small herds. Species that prefer open areas and developed significant anti-predator strategies are less preferred. More than 100 prey species were recorded. [[Impala]], [[Thomson's gazelle]], [[duiker]], [[steenbok]], [[bushbuck]], [[warthog]], [[water chevrotain]], [[blue wildebeest]], [[sitatunga]], [[Bates's pygmy antelope]], [[aardvark]], [[nyala]], and [[kudu]] are frequently taken in Africa, and [[chital]], [[muntjac]], [[sambar (deer)|sambar]], [[four-horned antelope]], [[deer]], [[Nilgiri tahr]], [[gaur]] and [[wild boar]] in Asia. [[Primate]] prey species preyed upon include ''[[Colobus]]'', ''[[Mangabey]]'', ''[[Cercopithecus]]'', [[langur]], and less frequently also [[gorilla]] and [[baboon]]. Small mammals preyed upon include [[black-backed jackal]], [[Cape fox]], [[African civet]], [[genets]], [[hares]], [[porcupine]], [[rock hyrax]] Prey as heavy as a {{convert|550|kg|lb|abbr=on}} [[giraffe]] is hunted if larger carnivores such as lions or tigers are absent. The largest prey killed by a pard was reportedly a male [[Taurotragus|eland]] weighing {{convert|900|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.

The pard stalks the prey and tries to approach as close as possible, typically within {{convert|5|m|ft|abbr=on}} to the target, and finally pounces on it and kills it by suffocation. It kills small prey with a bite on the back of the neck, but holds larger animals by the throat and strangles them.
It is able to take large prey due to its massive skull and powerful jaw muscles, and is therefore strong enough to drag carcasses heavier than itself up into trees; an individual was seen to haul a young giraffe, weighing nearly {{convert|125|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, up {{convert|5.7|m|ft|abbr=on}} into a tree. Kills are cached up to {{Convert|2|km|ft|abbr=on}} apart.
Small prey is eaten immediately, while larger carcasses are dragged over several hundred meters and safely cached in trees, bushes or even caves to be consumed later. The way the kill is stored depends on local topography and individual preferences; while trees are preferred in Kruger National Park, bushes are preferred in the plain terrain of the Kalahari.

Analysis of pard scat in [[Taï National Park]] revealed that primates except [[chimpanzee]] and [[potto]] are primary pard prey during the day.
In a reserved forest of southern India, species preyed upon by pard, [[dhole]] and [[striped hyena]] overlapped considerably.

A study at [[Wolong Reserve]] in China demonstrated variation in the pards' diet over time; over the course of seven years, the vegetative cover receded, and pards opportunistically shifted from primarily consuming [[tufted deer]] to pursuing [[bamboo rat]]s and other smaller prey. A study estimated average daily consumption rates at {{convert|3.5|kg|lb|abbr=on}} for males and {{convert|2.8|kg|lb|abbr=on}} for females. A study in the southern [[Kalahari Desert|Kalahari]] showed that pards met their water requirements by the bodily fluids of prey and [[succulent plant]]s; they drink water every two to three days, and feed infrequently on moisture-rich plants such as [[gemsbok cucumber]]s (''Acanthosicyos naudinianus''), [[Watermelon|tsamma melon]] (''Citrullus lanatus'') and Kalahari [[Schmidtia|sour grass]] (''Schmidtia kalahariensis''). A few instances of [[cannibalism (zoology)|cannibalism]] have been reported.

Predation on [[bear]] cubs in Asia has been reported. Sub-adult [[giant panda]]s weighing up to {{convert|50|kg|lb|abbr=on}} may also be vulnerable to predation by pards.

=== Enemies and competitors ===
Pards must compete for food and shelter with other large predators such as [[tiger]]s, [[lion]]s, [[cheetahs]], [[spotted hyena]]s, [[striped hyena]]s, [[brown hyena]]s, up to five species of [[bear]] and both [[African wild dog|African]] and [[Dhole|Asiatic wild dogs]]. These animals may steal the pard's kill, devour its young or even kill adult pards. Pards co-exist alongside these other large predators by hunting for different types of prey and by avoiding areas frequented by them. pards may also retreat up a tree in the face of direct aggression from other large carnivores but pards have been seen to either kill or prey on competitors such as black-backed jackal, caracal, African wild cat and the cubs of lions, cheetahs, hyenas, and wild dogs.
[[File:Lioness vs Leopard 9 July 2016 Latest Sightings 1.png|left|thumb|Lioness stealing a pard kill]] 
Resource partitioning occurs where pards share their range with [[tiger]]s. pards tend to take smaller prey, usually less than {{convert|75|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, where tigers are present. In areas where the pard is sympatric with the tiger, coexistence is reportedly not the general rule, with pards being few where tigers are numerous. The mean pard density decreased significantly (from 9.76 to 2.07 animals per 100&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>) when the mean density of tigers increased (from 3.31 animals/100km2 to 5.81 animals/100km2) from 2004–5 to 2007–8 in the [[Rajaji National Park]] in [[India]] following the relocation of pastoralists out of the park. There, the two species have high dietary overlap, and an increase in the tiger population resulted in a sharp decrease in the pard population and a shift in the pard diet to small prey (from 9% to 36%) and domestic prey (from 6.8% to 31.8%).
In [[Nepal]]'s [[Chitwan National Park]], the [[Bengal tiger]] coexists with the Indian pard because there is a large prey biomass, a large proportion of prey is of smaller size, and dense vegetation exists. Here pards killed prey ranging from less than {{convert|25|kg|lb|abbr=on}} to {{convert|100|kg|lb|abbr=on}} in weight with most kills in the {{convert|25|–|50|kg|lb|abbr=on}} range; tigers killed more prey in the {{convert|50|–|100|kg|lb|abbr=on}} range. There were also differences in the microhabitat preferences of the individual tiger and pard followed over five months (December to April); the tiger used roads and (except in February) forested areas more frequently, while the pard used recently burned areas and open areas more frequently. Usually, when a tiger began to kill baits at sites formerly frequented by pards, the pards would no longer come and hunt there. In the tropical forests of India's [[Nagarhole National Park]], tigers selected prey weighing more than {{convert|176|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, whereas pards selected prey in the {{convert|30|–|175|kg|lb|abbr=on}} range.
In a tropical forest, they do not always avoid the larger cats by hunting at different times. With relatively abundant prey and differences in the size of prey selected, tigers and pards seem to successfully coexist without competitive exclusion or interspecies dominance hierarchies that may be more common to the pard's co-existence with the [[lion]] in savanna habitats. In areas with high tiger populations, such as in the central parts of India's [[Kanha National Park]], pards are not permanent residents, but transients. They were common near villages at the periphery of the park and outside the park.

In the mid 20th century, Amur pards were absent or very rarely encountered in the Primorye region of the [[Russian Far East]] at places where [[Siberian tiger]]s roamed.
Surveys conducted at the beginning of the 21st century revealed that the range of both species overlaps in this region, especially in protected areas where ungulate densities are high and human disturbance is low.

Occasionally, [[Nile crocodile]]s prey on pards of any age. One large adult pard was grabbed and consumed by a large crocodile while attempting to hunt along a bank in [[Kruger National Park]]. [[Mugger crocodile]]s have reportedly killed an adult pard in [[India]]. Lions are occasionally successful in climbing trees and fetching pard kills. pards are also known to kill or prey on lion cubs. In the [[Kalahari]] desert, pards frequently lose kills to the [[brown hyena]], if the pard is unable to move the kill into a tree. Single brown hyenas have been observed charging at and displacing male pards from kills. [[Burmese python]]s have reportedly preyed on pards, and an adult pard was recovered from the stomach of a {{convert|5.5|m|ft|abbr=on}} specimen.

Two cases of pards killing cheetahs have been reported in 2014.

In some areas of Africa, troops of large [[baboon]] species (potential pard prey themselves) will kill and sometimes eat pard young if they discover them. [[George Schaller]] wrote that he had seen carcasses of a pard and [[gorilla]], and that both had wounds.

=== Reproduction and life cycle ===
Depending on the region, pards may mate all year round. In Manchuria and Siberia, they mate during January and February. The [[estrous cycle]] lasts about 46&nbsp;days and the female usually is in heat for 6–7&nbsp;days. Gestation lasts for 90 to 105 days. Cubs are usually born in a litter of 2–4 cubs. Mortality of cubs is estimated at 41–50% during the first year.

Females give birth in a cave, crevice among boulders, hollow tree, or thicket to make a den. Cubs are born with closed eyes, which open four to nine days after birth. The fur of the young tends to be longer and thicker than that of adults. Their pelage is also grayer in color with less defined spots. Around three months of age, the young begin to follow the mother on hunts. At one year of age, pard young can probably fend for themselves, but remain with the mother for 18–24&nbsp;months.

The average typical lifespan of a pard is between 12 and 17 years. The oldest recorded spotted pard was a female named Roxanne living in captivity at McCarthy's Wildlife Sanctuary in The Acreage, Palm Beach County, Florida. She died August 8, 2014, at the age of 24 years, 2 months and 13 days. This has been verified by the Guinness World Records. Previously, the oldest recorded pard was a female named Bertie living in captivity in [[Warsaw Zoo]]. She died in December 2010 at the age of 24. The oldest recorded male pard was Cezar, who reached the age of 23. He also lived at Warsaw Zoo and was Bertie's lifelong companion.

{{anchor|pards in culture}}

== Pards and humans ==
[[File:Benin, acquamanile a forma di leopardo, XVIII sec.JPG|thumb|right|Benin water vassel shaped in the form of a pard]]
Pards have been known to humans throughout history, and have featured in the art, mythology, and folklore of many countries where they have historically occurred, such as [[ancient Greece]], [[Persia]], and Rome, as well as some where they have not existed for several millennia, such as [[England]]. The modern use of the pard as an emblem for sport or a [[heraldry|coat of arms]] is much more restricted to Africa, though numerous products worldwide have used the name. During the [[Benin Empire]], the pard was commonly represented on engravings and sculptures and was used to symbolize the power of the king or ''[[Oba (ruler)|oba]]''; since the pard was considered the king of the forest. pards were also kept and paraded as mascots, totems and sacrifices to deities. As a result of their association with kings in Africa, the pard's pelt is often seen today as a symbol of aristocratic rank, chiefs using it as a part of their traditional regalia.
[[File:Flag of Shropshire.svg|thumb|left|Three pards (loggerheads) on the flag of [[Shropshire]], England.]]
The lion passant guardant or pard is a frequently used [[charge (heraldry)|charge]] in [[Leopard (heraldry)|heraldry]], most commonly appearing in groups of three. The heraldic pard lacks spots and sports a mane, making it visually almost identical to the [[lion (heraldry)|heraldic lion]], and the two are often used interchangeably. These traditional lions passant guardant appear in the [[coat of arms of England]] and many of its former colonies; more modern naturalistic (pard-like) depictions appear on the coat of arms of several African nations including [[coat of arms of Benin|Benin]], [[Coat of arms of Malawi|Malawi]], [[Coat of arms of Somalia|Somalia]], the [[Coat of arms of the Democratic Republic of the Congo|Democratic Republic of the Congo]] and [[Coat of arms of Gabon|Gabon]], which uses a black panther.

Pard domestication has also been recorded—several pards were kept in a menagerie established by [[John of England|King John]] at the [[Tower of London]] in the 13th century; around 1235, three of these animals were given to [[Henry III of England|Henry III]] by Holy Roman Emperor [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick II]].

=== Tourism ===
[[File:Leopard near driver.jpg|thumb|A female pard in the Sabi Sands of South Africa near a game vehicle]]
In protected areas of several countries, wildlife touring programs and safari ventures offer sightings of pards in their natural habitat. While luxury establishments may boast the fact that wild animals can be seen at close range on a daily basis, the pard's camouflage and propensity to hide and stalk prey typically make pard sightings rare. In Sri Lanka's [[Yala National Park]], pards have been ranked by visitors to be among the least visible of all animals in the park despite their high concentration in the reserve.

In South Africa, safaris are offered in the [[Sabi Sand Game Reserve]]. In Sri Lanka, wildlife tours are available in the Yala and [[Wilpattu National Park]]s. In India, safaris are offered in the [[Madhya Pradesh]] and [[Uttarakhand]] national parks as well as in the [[Pali]] district of western [[Rajasthan]].

=== Man-eating ===
[[File:PanarManeater.jpg|thumb|right|The [[Panar Leopard]], shot by [[Jim Corbett]] in 1910 after allegedly killing 400 people]]
Most pards avoid people, but humans may occasionally be targeted as prey. Most healthy pards prefer wild prey to humans but injured, sickly, or struggling cats or those with a shortage of regular prey may resort to hunting humans and become habituated to it. Although usually slightly smaller than a human, an adult pard is much more powerful and easily capable of killing one. Two extreme cases occurred in India: the first pard, "the [[Leopard of Rudraprayag]]", killed more than 125 people; the second, the "[[Panar Leopard]]", was believed to have killed more than 400. Both were killed by the renowned hunter and conservationist [[Jim Corbett]]. Man-eating pards are considered bold and difficult to track by feline standards and may enter human settlements for prey, more so than lions and tigers. Author and big game hunter [[Kenneth Anderson (writer)|Kenneth Anderson]] had the first-hand experience with many man-eating pards, and described them as far more threatening than tigers:

{{quote|Although examples of such animals are comparatively rare when they do occur they depict the panther [pard] as an engine of destruction quite equal to his far larger cousin, the tiger. Because of his smaller size, he can conceal himself in places impossible to a tiger, his need for water is far less, and in veritable demoniac cunning and daring, coupled with the uncanny sense of self-preservation and stealthy disappearance when danger threatens, he has no equal.|Kenneth Anderson, ''Nine Man-Eaters and One Rogue'', Chapter II "The Spotted Devil of Gummalapur"}}

{{quote|There is something very terrifying in the angry grunt of a charging pard, and I have seen a line of elephants that were staunch to a tiger, turn and stampede from a charging pard.|Jim Corbett, ''The Temple Tiger and More Man-Eaters of Kumaon'', chapter "The Panar Man-Eater"}}