Leopard (Animal) Paperback – August 15, 2014

Desmond Morris has written several books in the Reaktion Books "Animal Series." This the best of the several he has written for them. Someone should write a book about Morris, he's in his mid-80s and still produces books like this one, lively and informative. My guess is that most readers will find the book interesting because they are, like me, interested in leopards. I was hoping for some information about my favorite snow leopards, but there isn't much about them. Be aware this is as much about leopards and people as it is about leopards. There is a good deal of natural history, but just as much culture.The book starts with aspects of natural history, almost a kind of praise song for leopards' elegance, hunting ability, extreme wariness, cunning and adaptability. Morris likes leopards, obviously, but he also knows a lot about them and has some personal experiences with some of the animals.Just listing the chapter titles is as good a way as any to describe this book. Chapter 1, "Ancient Leopards." Chapter 2, "Tribal Leopards." Chapter 3, "Leopard Cults." Chapter 4, "Leopard Hunting." Chapter 5, "Leopard Attacks." Chapter 6, "Symbolic Leopards." Chapter 7, "Decorative Leopards." Chapter 8, "Leopards in Art." Chapter 9, "Circus Leopards." Chapter 10, "Tame Leopards." Chapter 11, "Wild Leopards." Chapter 12, "Leopard Conservation." There are three appendixes, one of which is on filmography.The upshot is that humans have long been fascinated by the animal's independence and formidable predatory skills. It appears (my contention, not Morris' point) that the fact that leopards hunt alone and often in the dark makes them seem more sinister that the more powerful but more social lion. No leopard as king of beasts. Perhaps "leopard" is too close to "leper," long seen as a disease inflicted by God as a punishment?Leopards seem to be the most adaptable of the large cats, although some of them are gravely endangered. Leopards are still dangerous and do kill people now and then. Anyway, this is a good read.

This tiny book is more of a student's thesis. A lot of the facts are outdated or incorrect; something I wouldn't expect from someone with experience around leopards and there are too many inaccuracies for the book to be taken seriously as a field guide; instead, it's an academic attempt. For example, leopards DO swim and catch fish and turtles, notably in southern India. Also, leopards WILL occasionally have a spot within a rosette, as jaguars do- this points to an ancient common ancestor. Mabel Stark did NOT work with a black leopard in her tiger act, it was a male black jaguar that had been raised on a ship as a cub. Even the poor paragraph about the famous Gunther Gebel-Williams could have included info on his favorite leopards, a spotted named Kenny and a black female named Blackie.There are tidbits here and there about leopard-print fashion and the role leopards have played in human culture. Lots of neat photographs, otherwise I would have given it one star. Wish the author would have spent several more years researching, gathering more material for the chapters he chose, and interviewed folks with more experience with leopards. One could spend an hour on the internet researching leopards and end up with far more material (even more accurate, and for the internet, that's a feat.) For an excellent book on the leopard, I'd suggest the out of print book: The Leopard, by Peter Turnbull-Kemp.

I had high expectations but must say I was disappointed. This book does not do these beautiful animal justice. I worked in Leopard conservation myself and was fortunate to meet these amazing creatures. The author seems to not have met a leopard himself in the wild or worked with them and mainly lists facts from other books then own experience. Long chapters about fashion, history and art but few facts on behaviour. How do they train their young? How do different leopards Africa vs Asia vary in their behavior? How likely is a black leopard cup to survive in the wild? The author does not seem to bother with current research and rather takes the easy way out by talking about the past and fashion. I wanted to learn about leopards not about a tacky actress wearing leopard print in coronation street. Who cares about that?. No original ideas/ reasearch himself.He also defends circus people too much in my opinion. Animal cruelty needs to be condemned in any form and I do not think we need to emphasise the trainers courage. The way these animals were treated is wrong and that's all that matters.Two stars for there were a couple of interesting facts(india) but generally this book is far to superficial and doesn't give any deep insights in the behavior or life of these amazing creatures. The cover looked promising but sadly i regret spending money on it. I would not recommend it.

A lot of interesting facts about leopards!

Purchased for a friend who was delighted to receive it. A wonderful series of books by all accounts.