Which leopard subspecies is native to the Russian Far East?

Which leopard subspecies is native to the Russian Far East? The Amur leopard.

The Amur leopard, Panthera pardus orientalis, is native to Primorye in southeastern Russia and parts of northeastern China. It is adapted to a cold, snowy climate and is one of the world’s rarest big cats, surviving in forests and rugged terrain near the Russian-Chinese border.

Its thick, pale winter coat, long hair and widely spaced rosettes help distinguish it from many warmer-climate leopard populations. The subspecies is strongly associated with habitats supporting sika deer, an important prey species, and it can cross the border between Russia and China.

The name “Amur” refers to the Amur region and river system of northeast Asia. The leopard is also called the Far Eastern leopard, Siberian leopard or Korean leopard, names that can confuse quiz-takers even though they refer to the same subspecies in different contexts.

The Amur leopard has been critically endangered because of habitat loss, poaching and prey decline. Intensive protection and camera-trap surveys have documented population growth from the tiny numbers reported in the early 2000s, but its survival remains conservation-dependent.