page_title: Leopard
section_title: Leopards and humans
hierarchical_section_title: Leopard / Leopards and humans
caption_attribution_description: Benin, acquamanile a forma di leopardo, XVIII sec
context_page_description: The leopard is one of the five extant species in the genus Panthera, a member of the Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in small parts of Western and Central Asia, on the Indian subcontinent to Southeast and East Asia. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because leopard 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, leopard populations have already been extirpated.
  Contemporary records suggest that the leopard occurs in only 25% of its historical global range.
  Leopards are hunted illegally, and their body parts are smuggled in the wildlife trade for medicinal practices and decoration.
  Compared to other wild cats, the leopard has relatively short legs and a long body with a large skull. Its fur is marked with rosettes. It is similar in appearance to the jaguar, but has a smaller, lighter physique, and its rosettes are generally smaller, more densely packed and without central spots. Both leopards and jaguars that are melanistic are known as black panthers.
context_section_description: Leopards have been known to humans throughout history, and have featured in the art, mythology, and folklore of many countries where they have historically occurred. In Greek mythology, the leopard was a symbol of the god Dionysus; who was depicted wearing leopard skin and using leopards as means of transportation. In one myth, the god was captured by pirates but two leopards appear and rescue him. The Ancient Romans kept leopards in captivity to be slaughtered in hunts as well as be used in executions of criminals. During the Benin Empire, the leopard was commonly represented on engravings and sculptures and was used to symbolize the power of the king or oba, since the leopard was considered the king of the forest. Leopards were also kept and paraded as mascots, totems and sacrifices to deities.
  The lion passant guardant or leopard is a frequently used charge in heraldry, most commonly appearing in groups of three. The heraldic leopard lacks spots and sports a mane, making it visually almost identical to the heraldic lion, and the two are often used interchangeably. These traditional lions passant guardant appear in the coat of arms of Dalmatia and the coat of arms of England and many of its former colonies; more modern naturalistic (leopard-like) depictions appear on the coat of arms of several African nations including Benin, Malawi, Somalia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Gabon, the last of which uses a black panther. The coat of the leopard has been popular decorative clothing and a symbol of power, wealth and the exotic, being worn by African chiefs, European queens, Hollywood film stars and burlesque dancers.
  Leopard captivity in historical times has also been recorded — several leopards were kept in a menagerie established by King John at the Tower of London in the 13th century; around 1235, three of these animals were given to Henry III by Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II.
caption: A Benin water vessel shaped like a leopard
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