Evolution

Although the evolution of the leopards is somewhat of a mystery, the Amur leopards are closely related to lions, tigers, and jaguars, all classified under the Panthera family. The oldest Panthera fossil dates back 3.8 million years ago. All leopard subspecies generally have a rosette coat pattern, which is often influenced by adaptations to hunting behavior and other characteristics of the species. Rosettes are considered a flecked pattern and that the most transformation of coat patterns originate from the flecked pattern which is considered primitive for the Felidae as a whole. However, juvenile coat patterns are more primitive, or resembles what their ancestors' coats would have looked like, to the condition of the species. The melanistic or black variant in coat patterns occur mainly in leopards but even with the black color they still have rosettes. Over the years the Amur leopard has adapted to colder climate by developing a longer, thicker, pale coat to camouflage in the snow.