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The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five "big cats" in the genus ''Panthera''. It is a member of the Felidae family with a wide range in regions of sub-Saharan Africa, West Asia, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia to Siberia. Fossil records found in Italy suggest that in the Pleistocene it ranged as far as Europe. Compared to other members of Felidae, the leopard has relatively short legs and a long body with a large skull. It is similar in appearance to the jaguar, but is smaller and more lightly built. Its fur is marked with rosettes similar to those of the jaguar, but the leopard's rosettes are smaller and more densely packed, and do not usually have central spots as the jaguar's do. Both leopards and jaguars that are melanistic are known as black panthers. The leopard's success in the wild is due to its well camouflaged fur; its opportunistic hunting behaviour, broad diet, and strength to move heavy carcasses into trees; its ability to adapt to various habitats ranging from rainforest to steppe and including arid and montane areas; and to run at speeds up to .〔 It is listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List because leopard populations are declining in large parts of their range. They are threatened by habitat loss and pest control. Their habitats are fragmented and they are illegally hunted so that their pelts may be sold in wildlife trade for medicinal practices and decoration.〔Bergin and Nijman (2014) Open, Unregulated Trade in Wildlife in Morocco’s Markets. TRAFFIC Bulletin Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/267748463_Open_Unregulated_Trade_in_Wildlife_in_Moroccos_Markets (Mar 23, 2015 )〕 They have been extirpated in Hong Kong, Singapore, Kuwait, Syria, Libya, Tunisia and most likely Morocco. ==Etymology== In antiquity, a leopard was believed to be a hybrid of a lion and a panther, as is reflected in its name, which is a Greek compound of ''leōn'' (lion) and ''pardos'' (male panther). The Greek word is related to Sanskrit (snake, tiger, panther), and probably derives from a Mediterranean language, such as Egyptian.〔Partridge, 1983, p. 349〕 A ''panther'' can be any of several species of large felids: the term can refer to cougars and jaguars in the American continents but (given the European origins of the word) it is largely thought to define the leopard at its source. ''Black panther'' refers to leopards with melanistic genes, which are not uncommon in rainforest habitats.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=panther )〕 The generic component of its modern scientific designation, ''Panthera pardus'', derives from Latin via Greek πάνθηρ (''pánthēr'').〔Partridge, 1983, p. 467〕 Folk etymology saw the name as a compound of παν (''pan'', all) and θηρ (beast). However, it is believed instead to be derived from an Indo-Iranian word meaning "white-yellow, pale"; in Sanskrit, this word's reflex was पाण्डर ''pāṇḍara'', which was derived from पुण्डरीक ''puṇḍárīka'' (''tiger'', among other things), then borrowed into Greek.〔〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「leopard」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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