Persian leopard

Panthera pardus tulliana, also called the Persian leopard, Anatolian leopard and Caucasian leopard in different parts of its range, is a leopard subspecies native to the Iranian Plateau and the surrounding region from eastern Anatolia and the Caucasus to the Hindu Kush. First described in 1856 based on a zoological specimen from western Anatolia, the leopard primarily inhabits subalpine meadows, temperate broadleaf and mixed forests and rugged ravines at elevations of 600 to 3,800 m (2,000 to 12,500 ft). It preys mostly on ungulates reliant on these habitats.

Today, the subspecies' population is estimated at fewer than 1,100 adults. It is threatened by habitat fragmentation due to land use changes, poaching, loss of wild prey species, and killing in retaliation for preying on livestock. It is internationally protected under CITES Appendix I and is listed in Appendix II of the Berne Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats.