Soldiers of the elite guard unit of the Iranian Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in a leopard skin uniform, 1960, Tehran.
Persian leopards are one of the largest subspecies of leopards in the world. Their body length ranges from 126 to 183 cm, and their tail is 94-116 cm long. The skull is 20-25 cm long in males and 20-22 cm in females. The upper teeth of males reach a length of 68-75 mm, in females they are 64-67 mm. The height of the animal is approximately 76 cm, the average weight reaches 70 kg.
In general, it is a very cautious and secretive animal. A leopard usually tries to hide, but when defending itself, it can even attack humans. He chooses gorges with streams or dense thickets as shelters. In deciduous forests, it can climb high into trees. It is not afraid of frosts and heat, but the predator usually stays far from reservoirs.
The distribution range of this subspecies is quite wide, starting from the Main Caucasian Ridge and continuing to the Red Sea, and from the Bosphorus Channel to Pakistan. The predator can be found in countries such as Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Iran and Turkey, where it has adapted to a wide variety of habitat conditions. In the Caucasus, the Central Asian leopard adheres to mountain deciduous forests, sometimes descending lower, to thickets of shrubs in the foothills. In Central Asia, the Persian leopard is found exclusively in the mountains, in summer – on subalpine meadows, in winter – in the foothills. Places to live are chosen next to rocks, scattered stones and cliffs.
The catastrophic decrease in the population of the Persian leopard is the result of constant hunting of animals, the economic development of their natural habitats, as well as a reduction in the number of wild ungulates, which form the basis of the diet of this predator. To restore this subspecies, leopards are protected in all countries where they live.
The population of the Persian leopard is estimated at 870-1300 individuals. There are from 550 to 850 animals in Iran, from 200 to 300 in Afghanistan, from 90 to 100 in Turkmenistan, only 10-13 in Azerbaijan, and 3-4 in Nagorno-Karabakh, 10-13 in Armenia, and about 5 in Georgia and Turkey.
There is even a special program in Russia to increase their numbers of Persian leopard. In addition, the subspecies is listed in the Red Book of Russia as an endangered species and in the International Red Book.
Persian leopards prey on livestock, and therefore rural farmers often lure leopards into traps and kill them. Locals also illegally hunt Persian leopards for their use in the Chinese traditional medicine market. Leopard paws are often sold in Iran and burned during ceremonies to get rid of bad omens or black magic.
