Panthera pardus tulliana photographed by researcher Curt Kosswig in 1938

The Anatolian Leopard, Panthera pardus tulliana, is a subspecies of leopard. It is not known whether any Anatolian Leopards still exist in the wild. Image File history File linksMetadata Kosswig_panther. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Kosswig_panther. ... Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms (as opposed to folk taxonomy). ... Phyla Subregnum Parazoa Porifera (sponges) Subregnum Agnotozoa Placozoa (trichoplax) Orthonectida (orthonectids) Rhombozoa (dicyemids) Subregnum Eumetazoa Radiata (unranked) (radial symmetry) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria (coral, jellyfish, anemones) Bilateria (unranked) (bilateral symmetry) Acoelomorpha (basal) Orthonectida (parasitic to flatworms, echinoderms, etc. ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicatas Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Orders Subclass Multituberculata (extinct) Plagiaulacida Cimolodonta Subclass Palaeoryctoides (extinct) Subclass Triconodonta (extinct) Subclass Eutheria (includes extinct ancestors)/Placentalia (excludes extinct ancestors) Afrosoricida Artiodactyla Carnivora Cetacea Chiroptera Cimolesta (extinct) Creodonta (extinct) Condylarthra (extinct) Dermoptera Desmostylia (extinct) Embrithopoda (extinct) Hyracoidea Insectivora Lagomorpha Litopterna (extinct) Macroscelidea Mesonychia (extinct) Notoungulata (extinct) Perissodactyla Pholidota Plesiadapiformes... Families Ailuridae Amphicyonidae† Canidae Felidae Herpestidae Hyaenidae Mephitidae Miacidae† Mustelidae Nandiniidae Nimravidae† Odobenidae Otariidae Phocidae Procyonidae Ursidae Viverravidae† Viverridae The diverse order Carnivora pronounced: (from Latin caro flesh, + vorare to devour) includes over 260 placental mammals. ... Subfamilies Felinae Pantherinae Acinonychinae Machairodontinae(extinct) Lions, tigers, cats and other felines are members of the family Felidae. ... Species Panthera leo Panthera tigris Panthera pardus Panthera onca Panthera is a genus of the family Felidae (the cats), which contains four well-known species: the tiger, lion, leopard, and jaguar. ... Trinomial nomenclature is a taxonomic naming system that extends the standard system of binomial nomenclature by adding a third taxon. ... Binomial name Panthera pardus (Linnaeus, 1758) Leopards (Panthera pardus) are one of the four big cats of the genus Panthera. ...

Distribution/Physical Features

Anatolian Leopards at one time thrived in the forests and hill regions of Aegean, West Mediterranean, East Mediterranean, and East Anatolia. Adults grow from 200-250 cm long and may weigh up to 70 kg; their lifespan is approximately 20 years. Greece and the Aegean Sea The Aegean sea in Greece as seen from the island of Greek: Αιγαίον Πέλαγος, Aigaion Pelagos; Turkish: Ege denizi) is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, located between the Greek peninsula and Anatolia (Asia Minor, now part of Turkey). ...

Diet

In the wild, the leopard's prey consists of wild ungulates, which include deer, chamois, mountain goats, and occasionally wild boar and birds as well as domestic livestock.

Sightings

The last official sighting of the Anatolian leopard was in 1974. That animal was killed after an attack to a woman in Bagozu village, 5 km. from Beypazari. Although some scientists have suggested that the species has since become extinct, others have suggested that there are still between 10-15 Anatolian Leopards in the wilds of Anatolia, Turkey. In 2001, the animal had allegedly been spotted around the Dandi region in the eastern Mediterranean, and around Musikli Brook in the eastern Black Sea. Another sighting of the animal in Pokut Plateau, on the eastern Black Sea, was reported in 2004. 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1974 calendar). ... Asia Minor lies east of the Bosporus, between the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. ... 2001: A Space Odyssey. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Cause For Decline

It is thought that extensive trophy hunting is the principal factor in the decline and possible extinction of the Anatolian Leopard. One hunter, Mantolu Hasan, singlehandedly killed at least fifteen of the animals, possibly as many as fifty.

Trivia

A GNU/Linux distribution in Turkey, Pardus, is named after Anatolian Leopard. It is highly popular locally. Pardus is a GNU/Linux distribution which is developed in Turkey, as a product of the UludaÄŸ Project. ...

External Links

• The Last Anatolian Panther