Where are the Biggest Leopards found?

[brandonjensen]

The biggest male leopards are located in areas where it not allowed to hunt anymore. Such as DR Congo and Kenya (highlands).

Robin Hurt with a leopard in DR Congo, said to be "almost as big as a lioness" and estimated to weigh 220lbs.

I have a 1960 paper with leopard skulls from DR Congo and 14-15" skulls were common with the biggest being between 17-18" even though there are even bigger ones. 19" is as big as they get skull-wise.

I'd say Masailand in Tanzania is a great place for big males with majestic coats. A 78kg male shot in Masailand (skull score 15.75")

A PH sent me these photos of colleagues; all from Masailand:

82,7kg male

@IvW

Do you have pictures of these +200lb monsters?

 

[rookhawk]

Point of order on this topic, using Black Bears as a good analogy:

"Where are the biggest bears, Wisconsin or the Carolinas?". By mass, the giants seem to be in the Carolinas, but by skull size as the measurement for the record book, Wisconsin makes the biggest skulls.

The odds that the world's heaviest leopard genetics is also the largest scoring skull size is pretty low. I do believe that the Matopas region of SW Zimbabwe produces some absolute monsters. I've been on the estate where Rowland Ward #1, #2, and #4 came from. What did they weigh? Not sure, but I don't believe they were more than 180-200lbs.

If your name in a record book is a top priority, I'd look at SW Zimbabwe. If your goal is a huge bodied cat, there may be places where they grow much heavier.

 

[Shakka]

The biggest male leopards are located in areas where it not allowed to hunt anymore. Such as DR Congo and Kenya (highlands).

Robin Hurt with a leopard in DR Congo, said to be "almost as big as a lioness" and estimated to weigh 220lbs.

I have a 1960 paper with leopard skulls from DR Congo and 14-15" skulls were common with the biggest being between 17-18" even though there are even bigger ones. 19" is as big as they get skull-wise.

I'd say Masailand in Tanzania is a great place for big males with majestic coats. A 78kg male shot in Masailand (skull score 15.75")

A PH sent me these photos of colleagues; all from Masailand:

82,7kg male

@IvW

Do you have pictures of these +200lb monsters?

Brandon, thank you so much for those pictures....it looks like the last one is the biggest. Wonder what we weighed, Good God