Leopard

lep,erd, a large, catlike animal of the Old World, also called the pard and panther. Among the cats of the Old World it is exceeded in size by the lion and the tiger only, but it is smaller than the American cougar and jaguar. It ranges throughout the wooded country of North Africa and southern Asia to Japan and Java. Its length is about seven feet including the tail. The color is tawny, somewhat paler below, marked with regularly disposed black spots, having a rosette or broken appearance. The spots of the leopard are proverbial. The spotted leopard is a common emblem in modern heraldry.