The amur leopard is at the top of almost all food chains, although this is true there are still many species itinteracts with in their life time. Some can be a threat to their survival and the reason for there endangerment, while others can contribute to their survival. A few of these species are:
Predation:Deer
The Amur leopard's diet consists of a large variety of species, because the amur leopard has highly adaptable hunting and feeding behaviour, but a large group of its prey are deer's("Amur Leopard", n.d.). The Amur leopard mainly hunts roe deer, musk deer and sika deer. Because deer's are such a big part of the leopards diet, if something were to happen to the deer species the leopard wouldn't have the same food resources it is used to and will have to find a new prey. The Amur leopard isn't the only predator of the deer, the Siberian tiger also shares a common diet. Because of this, there is a greater chance for the population of deers to decrease faster, which can result in the Amur leopard not having a much resources.
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Competition:Siberian Tiger
The Siberian tiger, also known as the Amur tiger, is similar in behaviour and hunting as the Amur leopard. They have similar diets, which means they hunt the same prey. This can be a bad thing for both animals becaus, if they hunt the same animal, such as the musk deer, then the musk deer population will decrease and there wouldn't be as much if it's resources left. Also the Siberian tiger and the Amur leopard are found in similiar areas, near Russia and China. This causes the two species to fight in order to find a suitable habitat for themselves, because habitats are minimal due to deforestation("The Far Eastern Leopard: Conservation Treats", n.d.). The Amur tiger, like the amur leopard, was endangered but has since recovered in the last 60-70 years, this gives conservationists hope that the Amur leopard can be saved("Amur Leopard", n.d.).
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Competition:Humans
Humans contribute to the Amur leopards endangerment. Farmers in Far Eastern Russia raise captive deer for human consumption. As learnt before, deers are a big part of the Amur leopards diet. When the leopards are unable to find prey they may venture into these farms to get food. The humans that own these farms want to protect their stock, therefore killing the leopard in order to save their possible investment("Human-Leopard Conflict", n.d.).
Because the humans are using the deer for their own use, the deer population can decline and possibly become endangered, which can result in the decrease of sources for the leopard. |
Commensalism: Trees
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