Barbary leopard
Appearance
Barbary leopard | |
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Subspecies: | P. p. panthera
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Trinomial name | |
Panthera pardus panthera (Schreber, 1777)
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The Barbary leopard or North African leopard from the Atlas Mountains of North Africa has initially been described as a leopard subspecies (Panthera pardus panthera) in the late 18th century. Following genetic analysis in the 1990s, this population is grouped with the African leopard (P. p. pardus).[1][2]
Leopards are rare in northern Africa. Only small populations persist in the Atlas Mountains of Morocco and Algeria in forest and mountain steppe in elevations of 300 to 2,500 m (980 to 8,200 ft) where the climate is temperate to cold.[3][4] Barbary macaques also live in this area and habitat.[5]
References
- ^ Miththapala, S.; Seidensticker, J.; O'Brien, S. J. (1996). "Phylogeographic Subspecies Recognition in Leopards (P. pardus): Molecular Genetic Variation". Conservation Biology. 10 (4): 1115–1132. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.1996.10041115.x.
- ^ Uphyrkina, O.; Johnson, E.W.; Quigley, H.; Miquelle, D.; Marker, L.; Bush, M.; O'Brien, S. J. (2001). "Phylogenetics, genome diversity and origin of modern leopard, Panthera pardus" (PDF). Molecular Ecology. 10 (11): 2617–2633. doi:10.1046/j.0962-1083.2001.01350.x. PMID 11883877.
- ^ Cuzin, F. (2003). Les grands mammifères du Maroc méridional (Haut Atlas, Anti Atlas et Sahara): Distribution, Ecologie et Conservation. Ph.D. Thesis, Laboratoire de Biogéographie et Ecologie des Vertèbrés, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Université Montpellier II.
- ^ Busby, G. B. J., Gottelli, D., Durant, S., Wacher, T., Marker, L., Belbachir, F., de Smet, K., Belbachir-Bazi, A., Fellous, A. and Belghoul, M. (2006). A Report from the Sahelo Saharan Interest Group - Parc National de l'Ahaggar Survey, Algeria (March 2005). Part 5: Using Molecular Genetics to study the Presence of Endangered Carnivores.
- ^ Van Lavieren, E. (2012). The Barbary Macaque (Macaca sylvanus); A unique endangered primate species struggling to survive. Revista Eubacteria, (30): 1–4.