Leopard the 13th century AD, generally refers to the leopard, and less often to the cougar and the jaguar. Alternative origins suggested for "Panthera" include an Indo-Iranian word meaning "white-yellow" or "pale". In Sanskrit, this could have been derived from पाण्डर "pāṇḍara" ("tiger"), which in turn comes from पुण्डरीक "puṇḍárīka" (with the same meaning). The specific name "pardus" is derived from the Greek ("pardos") ("male panther"). The leopard is one of the five extant species of the genus "Panthera", which also includes the jaguar ("P. onca"), the lion ("P. leo"), the snow leopard ("P. uncia") and the tiger ("P. tigris"). This
Indian leopard leopard cat and fishing cat. It also shares habitat with golden jackal, Indian fox, striped hyena, dhole, Indian wolf, sloth bear and Asian black bear. Hunting of Indian leopards for the illegal wildlife trade is the biggest threat to their survival. They are also threatened by loss of habitat and fragmentation of formerly connected populations, and various levels of human–leopard conflict in human–dominated landscapes. Several newspapers reported of leopards falling into open wells and being rescued with the help of Forest Department officials. A significant immediate threat to wild leopard populations is the illegal trade in poached skins and body