Caucasian leopard
Panthera pardus
A large spotted cat with rosettes and a long tail. Confirmed in Georgia, but not as a large resident population.
At a glance
Key facts in one look
Diet
Carnivore
Status in Georgia
Vagrant / rare
Size
180–240 cm
Habitat
Mountain / rocky forest
Family
Felidae
Conservation
CR / EN
Human interaction: It is not venomous. It is a large predator: it may defend itself or a kill, and rare attacks on people are documented elsewhere in the range. A confirmed series of attacks on people in Georgia is not on this page. If you find tracks or see the animal, leave the area, do not approach cubs, and do not feed it. Livestock losses are possible; numbers are not measured here. Seek medical care after a bite.
Overview
What is Caucasian leopard
The Caucasian leopard, also called leopard (Panthera pardus), is a mammal in the cat family (Felidae). Animals in Georgia belong to the West Asian subspecies Panthera pardus tulliana — the Persian leopard. At species level IUCN lists the leopard as Vulnerable; the subspecies tulliana was assessed as Endangered in 2023. Georgia’s 2014 Red List lists the leopard as Critically Endangered (CR, D1). IUCN maps Georgia as extant and vagrant: the species occurs, but not as a stable numerous population. It has no venom. The human risk is a large predator’s bite and livestock killing, not poison.
Last updated
Gallery
Caucasian leopard in photos
Photo: ThunderJag
Photo: Tamar Assaf
Photo: Marcel Burkhard
Photo: Marcel Burkhard
Photo: Jonathan Cardy
Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia, Tbilisi ·
Photo: Jonathan Cardy
Simon Janashia Museum of Georgia, Tbilisi ·
Identification
How to identify Caucasian leopard
A large cat with a long tail, short ears without tufts, and a coat of rosettes — not a zigzag and not solid spots all over. In Georgia it is a rare vagrant.
- 01
In a measured Iranian series (Farhadinia et al. 2014; then treated as P. p. saxicolor) adult males often have a total length of 200–240 cm (mean about 221 cm) and mass 40–91 kg (mean about 66 kg); females are smaller — often 182–228 cm and 26–60 kg. There is no separate wild Georgian measurement series on this page. Ears are short and rounded, without tufts. The tail is about two-thirds of body length and darker toward the tip.
- 02
Ground colour runs from yellowish-grey to golden-brown. Spots are rosettes: dark rings with a paler centre, not solid black dots over the whole body. The belly is paler. Cubs are darker and more heavily marked. Museum mounts in Tbilisi show historical specimens, not a living wild animal.
- 03
Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) occurs in Georgia: it is much smaller, has ear tufts, and a short tail with a black tip. The leopard has a long tail and rosettes. Grey wolf (Canis lupus) is taller and not spotted. Snow leopard (Panthera uncia) does not occur in Georgia. This atlas has no lynx page yet.
- 04
Live photos on this page are captive or zoo animals, not wild Georgian frames. Wild Georgian records are mainly camera-trap images released by organisations.
Biology
Habitat, diet, behavior, and conservation
Habitat and range
The subspecies mainly uses mountain forest, woodland-scrub, and rocky slopes. It usually avoids deserts and open plains, though it can appear in lowlands. In the Caucasus it prefers southern slopes; deep snow can block movement. Named recent Georgian localities are Vashlovani Protected Areas (tracks and camera-traps 2003–2009), Tusheti Protected Areas (camera-trap 2021; IUCN 2023 reports one male moving between Tusheti and Khunzakhsky Nature Park in Dagestan), and Algeti National Park. On 17 September 2025 the Agency of Wildlife reported two camera-traps on the outer fence of a deer farm in Algeti — the third such record in 20 years. The agency infers that the animal has been on the Trialeti Ridge for some time; that is an inference, not an independent survey. Mongabay/WWF identify the same animal as Aren, a male moving from Armenia; the agency text does not make that identification. These are named records, not a complete map. Administrative regions are not coloured here. The 2010–2014 national action plan states that in the early twentieth century habitat covered most of Georgia except the Javakheti Plateau and the south-east lowlands — that is historical, not the present range. A Georgia-only elevation band is not measured on this page.
Diet
There is no separate Georgian diet study on this page. In northern Iran and Armenia, wild ungulates make up 80–95% of consumed biomass. Caucasus literature names bezoar goat (Capra aegagrus), wild boar, roe deer, Caucasian tur, and red deer. When wild prey is scarce, sheep, goats, cattle, or dogs may be taken. The Georgian menu has not been measured. IUCN notes that African swine fever in wild boar in Armenia and Georgia may add pressure on the prey base.
Behavior
It is a solitary predator. It is mainly active at night and at dusk; in the cold season it may also show by day. It marks ranges with scrapes on trails, urine, faeces, and tree scratches. In this subspecies the mating peak is often January–March; gestation is about 90–106 days, usually 1–4 cubs. Those figures come from the wider range. Breeding in Georgia is not confirmed on this page. IUCN 2023 states that the Caucasus population is not yet stable: wide-ranging males appear, but females and breeding events remain too few. A realistic Georgian encounter is a camera-trap or a track — not a guaranteed tourist sighting.
Conservation
Panthera pardus is Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. The subspecies P. p. tulliana is Endangered C2a(i) as of 2023: about 750–1,044 wild individuals globally, of which 450–626 mature, with a declining trend. Minimum camera-trap counts in the South Caucasus (Khorozyan et al. 2022, in the IUCN account) were 6–17 in Azerbaijan, 3–9 in Armenia, and one in Georgia. Georgia’s 2014 Red List (Decree No. 190) lists it as CR under D1 — a very small population. The action plan states legal protection since 1977; hunting is prohibited. It is on CITES Appendix I. Threats include poaching, prey decline, habitat fragmentation, and border infrastructure. In the Soviet period, state-sponsored leopard hunting with bounties continued in the Caucasus into the 1970s. Do not handle wild animals, and do not post exact coordinates of a live animal.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the most important questions about Caucasian leopard.
Yes, but rarely. IUCN lists the country as extant and vagrant. The national Red List status is CR. Modern confirmation is by camera-trap in Vashlovani, Tusheti, and Algeti. The 2025 Algeti record was published by the Agency of Wildlife; it is not a countrywide density.
Realistically, almost nowhere with any guarantee. Named sites are Vashlovani, Tusheti, and Algeti. There is no tourist “almost guaranteed” sighting. This page does not colour the regional map.
A large cat with rosettes, a long tail, and no ear tufts. Lynx has a short tail, ear tufts, and is much smaller.
In the Iranian series, adult males often measure 200–240 cm total length and 40–91 kg; females are smaller. There is no wild Georgian series here.
Mainly medium and large ungulates. Diet has not been measured separately in Georgia. Livestock may be taken if wild prey is scarce.
Mainly at night and at dusk. It does not migrate like many birds; individuals may move across borders.
It is not venomous. It is a large predator. Do not approach. A series of attacks on people in Georgia is not documented on this page.
Yes. It is CR on the Georgian Red List, hunting is prohibited, and it is on CITES Appendix I. The subspecies is Endangered globally; the species is Vulnerable.
- Ghoddousi & Khorozyan 2023 — IUCN Red List, Panthera pardus ssp. tulliana
- IUCN Cat Specialist Group — Persian Leopard
- IUCN Cat Specialist Group — Living Species, Leopard
- Kitchener et al. 2017 — A revised taxonomy of the Felidae
- საქართველოს მთავრობის დადგენილება №190 (2014) — წითელი ნუსხა
- National Action Plan for Leopard Conservation in Georgia, 2010–2014
- Nozadze — Persian leopard in Georgia (CMS briefing)
- WWF — Leopard Returns to Georgia (Tusheti, 2021)
- Agency of Wildlife (Georgia) — Algeti camera-trap, 17 September 2025
- InterpressNews — ალგეთის ფოტოხაფანგი, 2025
- Mongabay 2026 — Aren identification claim (Algeti)
- Farhadinia et al. 2014 — Sexual dimorphism in Persian leopard
- Gavashelishvili & Lukarevskiy 2008 — Habitat requirements of leopard in west and central Asia
- CITES Appendices — Panthera pardus
- ASM Mammal Diversity Database — Panthera pardus
- Wikimedia Commons — Persian Leopard (ThunderJag, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Wikimedia Commons — Persian Leopard sitting (Tamar Assaf, public domain)
- Wikimedia Commons — Persischerleopardcele4 (Marcel Burkhard, CC BY-SA 2.0 de)
- Wikimedia Commons — Persischer leopard2cele4 (Marcel Burkhard, CC BY-SA 2.0 de)
- Wikimedia Commons — stuffed Caucasus leopard, Georgian National Museum (Jonathan Cardy, CC BY-SA 3.0)
Species profiles are compiled from peer-reviewed literature and established biodiversity databases, and are reviewed as new taxonomic and conservation data become available.
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