The scientific name of the leopard is Panthera pardus. The leopard is a big, strongly built cat with a light yellow to golden brown coat covered by spots arranged in rosettes. These spots are unique and, like human fingerprints, allow individual identification.
A leopard has solid spots on its face, chest, paws and tail; rosettes on its back and flanks; and rings on its tail towards the tip. The spots on its face and their relative position are unique and they also differ on each side. The spots on its forehead are arranged in identifiable patterns.
There are also spots forming a line directly underneath each eye and on the throat the spots are grouped to form a distinctive "necklace". The spots on both sides of the nose and muzzle serve as a very reliable guideline for identifying individual leopards.
Identifying leopards based on spot patterns isn’t always that easy, because they might be moving or be at a distance. There is also the possibility that a few leopards may have the same combination of spots. It is therefore advisable to also look for other features that can be used to identify leopards like scars, notches in ears or particular areas they are likely to be seen as they are very territorial animals.
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