Leopard

Despite the leopard's abilities, it is no match for habitat destruction and poachers, and several subspecies are endangered, namely, the Amur, Anatolian, Barbary, North Chinese, and South Arabian leopards. He will most likely be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame after his retirement, which is considered to be announced very soon, considering his displeasement of Mike Martz being fired. Because of their stealthy habits and camouflage, they can go undetected even in close proximity to human settlements. He also moved up to #9 on the NFL's list of all time leading rushers by surpassing Marcus Allen's total of 12,243 yards. But like many other big cats, leopards are increasingly under threat of habitat loss and are facing increased hunting pressure. In the 2005 season, Faulk moved up to #16 on the NFL's list of all time leading receivers by recording his 765th reception(retired fullback Larry Centers is the only running back with more receptions then Faulk). It is estimated that there are as many as 500,000 leopards in Sub-Saharan Africa alone. In the 2004 season, Faulk recorded his 100th rushing touchdown, becoming only the 6th player in NFL history to accomplish this feat.

The leopard is doing surprisingly well for a large predator. Although Faulk is no longer a starter, he is still used frequently as a rusher and pass receiver, and continues to achieve significant career milestones. Prior to the human-induced changes of the last few hundred years, Leopards were the most widely distributed of all felids other than the domestic cat: they were found through most of Africa (with the exception of the Sahara Desert), as well as parts of Asia Minor and the Middle East, India, Pakistan, China, Siberia, much of mainland South-East Asia, and the islands of Java, Zanzibar, and Sri Lanka. Entering his 12th season, he serves as a reserve tailback on the Rams, behind Oregon State standout Steven Jackson. Cheetahs are usually diurnal, while leopards are more active at night (nocturnal); cheetahs are also exclusively terrestrial (except when young), while leopards often climb trees. He would never reached such the stratospheric statistical levels that he reached in 1999 to 2001, but is still a servicable running back in the NFL. The cheetah also has dark 'teardrop'-like markings running down the sides of its face, whereas the leopard does not. He was also named All-NFC, ALL-NFL, and selected for the Pro Bowl in each of those years.

The cheetah tends to run rather fast and goes much more quickly than the leopard. In that span, he scored 59 total TD's, amassed 6765 yards of total offense (4122 rushing and 2643 receiving) and won the NFL Most Valuable Player Award and three NFL Offensive Player of the Year Awards. The leopard is heavier, stockier, has a larger head in proportion to the body, and has rosettes rather than spots. Marshall Faulk had what may have been the best consecutive seasons in league history during these years. The cheetah, although its range overlaps extensively with that of the leopard, is easily distinguished. Faulk did however have an impressive performance in the game, rushing for 76 yards and catching 4 passes for 54 yards against Bill Belichick's defense. The jaguar is native to the Americas, while the leopard is native to Asia and Africa. On the strength of their backfield and newly revamped defense, the Rams reached Super Bowl XXXVI, only to lose to the Patriots on a game-winning field goal by Adam Vinatieri.

Jaguars can adapt to a range of habitats from rainforest to ranchlands while leopards are even more adaptable ranging in from deserts and mountains, savanna and woodlands. Faulk finished second in MVP voting to his teammate Kurt Warner, but was named Offensive Player of the Year for the third year in a row. Besides appearance, the leopard and jaguar have similar behavior patterns. The next season with Warner healthy, and the defense creating turnovers and putting pressure on opposing QBs, the Rams went 14-2. The leopard is smaller and less stocky than the jaguar, although it is more heavyset than the cheetah. They quicky exited as a result, losing to the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Wild Card game. The Amur leopard and the North Chinese leopard are occasional exceptions. The slid into the playoffs after finishing 10-6, and were unable to secure home field.

Leopards do not have the spots within the rosettes that jaguars always have, and the jaguar's spots are larger than the leopard's (see the photographs in jaguar). Even with the offense scoring the most points and yards during the "The Greatest Show On Turf" era, they gave up 470 points. There are also visual markings that set them apart. Although Trent Green was a spectacular back-up when Kurt Warner was sidelined for 5 games, the Rams defensive woes were too much for any offense to overcome. Since wild leopards live only in Africa and Asia and wild jaguars live only in the Americas, there is no possibility of confusing them in the wild. Louis, as the Rams were not able to replicate the record they had the year prior. The ranges, habitats, and activities of the three cats make them easy to distinguish in the wild. But all was not well in St.

The leopard is closely related to, and appears very similar to, the jaguar; it is less often confused with the cheetah. He also averaged 5+ yards per carry again, this time with 5.4. The big cats, especially the spotted cats, are easy to confuse for those who see them in captivity or in photographs. Faulk had 18 scores on the ground, setting a new franchise record, and 8 through the air. Upon the arrival of the leopard, one or more spotlights are used to illuminate the beast, and it is shot in the most humane way possible. He had 1359 yards rushing in 14 games and set a new NFL record with 26 total TDs (a record that would soon be broken by Priest Holmes, although it should be noted Faulk missed 2 games in 2000 and would likely have extended the record had he been present in those games). The bait is put out at dusk in an area where leopards are known to live and hunt. In addition to this remarkable achievement Faulk was the MVP in 2000, and again the Offensive Player of the Year.

In Africa, the traditional way to hunt leopards is to place a freshly killed animal carcass near the edge of a clearing as bait. Louis). Quite often they can make more than one kill in a day, in which case they cache the first kill while stalking their next victim. The following year Faulk became the first running back in NFL history to lead his team in receptions five separate seasons (three in Indianapolis and twice in St. Opportunistic hunters, leopards will hunt at any time of day or night if they come across suitable prey. For all this effort and success, he was named Offensive Player of the Year and starter for the NFC squad in the 1999 NFL Pro Bowl. They have been observed carrying prey up to three times their own body weight into trees, demonstrating their great strength and power. Replays showed a last minute block to defensive rookie of the year Jevon Kearse, delivered by Faulk, bought Warner just enough time to release the ball.

Some leopards will carry their prey up a tree to avoid losing it to lions and hyenas. He was also one of the main reasons why "The Catch" (a 73 yard touchdown reception that scored the final points of the game), as the Rams fans called it, made by Isaac Bruce had even been successfull. They kill mostly by suffocation, by holding onto the animal's throat, though with smaller animals they may break the neck. This is perhaps due to the Titans inability to stop the Rams passing game, which Faulk was a major part of, recording 5 receptions for 90 yards. They will stalk their prey before making a short run to catch it. In the game, Faulk was contained on the ground by Titans head coach Jeff Fisher's defensive scheme, limiting him to just 17 rushing yards. Like domestic cats, leopards usually hunt at night or at dawn or dusk. The Rams eventually went on to win Super Bowl XXXIV.

In much of its range in Africa leopards compete with animals such as the Spotted Hyena, wild dogs and the lion for prey, and it is not uncommon for them to be chased away from their own kills by other top predators. With 1381 yards rushing (a superb 5.5 yards-per-carry average), 1,048 receiving yards, and scoring 12 touchdowns in a truly fantastic year, Faulk joined Roger Craig as the only men to total 1,000+ yards in each category in a season. Dogs in leopard country should be caged for protection from leopards. Faulk's patience and diligence in learning the Rams offense paid off when he totaled 2,429 yards from scrimmage, obliterating Barry Sanders mark set in 1997. Large size with the efficiency of the smaller cats makes them extremely dangerous to humans and dogs. In this offense he put up some of the best all-purpose numbers in the history of the NFL. Like domestic cats, but unlike the other great cats, they are known to jump from perches onto prey animals. Louis Faulk was the catalyst for "The Greatest Show on Turf", a nickname given to the Rams spread offense formation, innovated by Dick Vermeil and Mike Martz.

Leopards are highly successful predators that hunt a wider variety of African prey than do other big cats from Africa, often feeding on insects, rodents, fish (as do domestic cats, animals with similar hunting techniques) as well as such larger game as antelope. In his first year in St. Shooting for trophies may have wiped out these populations. The Colts took Edgerrin James with their first pick and he joined Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison in an offense that would dominate for years. Other King Leopards have been recorded from Malabar in southwestern India. Colts President Bill Polian didn't want to have the young team's chemistry damaged, so he traded Faulk for second- and fifth-round picks in the upcoming draft . This indicated a mutation in the local leopard population. Louis the following season due to problems he referred to as "misunderstandings", as Faulk had missed practice's and was considered holding out for a new contract.

Between 1885 and 1934, six pseudo-melanistic leopards were recorded in the Albany and Grahamstown districts of South Africa. Faulk was shipped to St. This is different than a spotted leopard, but similar to a King Cheetah hence the modern cryptozoology term King Leopard. It would also be the first of an NFL-record 4 consecutive 2000+ total-yard seasons. The pelt was richly decorated with an intricate pattern of swirling stripes, blotches, curls and fine-line traceries. He also caught 86 passes for 906 yards that year and was the NFL's leader in total yards from scrimmage with an astounding 2227, beating out Denver's MVP running back Terrell Davis by 2 yards, and he finishing 4th in the league in receptions. In May 1936, the British Natural History Museum exhibited the mounted skin of an unusual Somali leopard. Fortunately, he recovered from the injury and rushed for 1,000+ yards in each of the next two seasons, setting a new personal high with 1319 in 1998.

The skin is larger than that of a leopard but smaller than that of a full grown tiger.. Because of a toe injury he suffered earlier in the season, he only rushed for 587 yards, with a paltry 3yds-per-carry average. The extreme edges around the legs and belly are white and spotted like the skin of a leopard .. Unfortunately, the next year was a miserable one for Faulk. In this skin, the stripes are almost golden yellow, without the uniformity and parallelism of the tiger characteristics, and they extend along the sides in labyrinthine graceful curls and circles, several inches below the wide shimmering black continuous course of the back. The Colts made the post-season, going 9-7, and narrowly missed the Super Bowl after a close loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game. In the tiger, the stripes are black, of a uniform character, upon a tawny background, and they run in parallel lines from the centre of the back to the belly. The next season Faulk rushed for 1078 yards and 14 total TDs.

The wide black portion, which glistens like the sheen of silk velvet, extends from the top of the head to the extremity of the tail entirely free from any white or tawny hairs .. The Colts improved to 8-8. It had been killed in Malabar, India that same year. Faulk responded by rushing for 1282 yards and 11 touchdowns, and one receiving touchdown. Another pseudo-melanistic leopard skin was described in 1915 by Holdridge Ozro Collins who had purchased it in 1912. Faulk was drafted 2nd overall in the 1994 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, who were in desperate need of a running game. These dark-coloured South African leopards differ from the black leopards of the northern and eastern parts of Africa and Asia in that while in the latter the rosette-like spots are always retained and clearly visible, in the former the rosettes are lost - as, indeed, is to a considerable extent often the case in ordinary African leopards - and all trace of spots disappears from the blacker portions of the skin.. Faulk left San Diego State with many of the school's offensive records bearing his name, amongst them an astounding 62 TD's, which is also the 2nd most in NCAA history.

Two other specimens are known; the whole four having been obtained from the Albany district. Although in the next two seasons, he would not replicate the success of his freshmen year, he showed in final season he was still an all-purpose back, catching 47 passes for 640 yards, which aided him in ranking 3rd in all-purpose yardage that year, in addition to finishing 2nd in scoring. A second skin had the black area embracing nearly the whole of the back and flanks, without showing any trace of the spots, while in those portions of the skin where the latter remained they were of the same form as in the first specimen. In 37 carries, he racked up 386 yards and scored seven touchdowns, both NCAA records for freshmen, and built on this perfomace throughout the year, compiling one of the greatest freshman seasons in NCAA history, gaining 1429 yards rushing, with 23 total TD's (21 rushing), and 140 points scored. The ground-colour of this animal was a rich tawny, with an orange tinge; but the spots, instead of being of the usual rosette-like form, were nearly all small and solid, like those on the head of an ordinary leopard; while from the top of the head to near the root of the tail the spots became almost confluent, producing the appearance of a broad streak of black running down the back. In one of the most prolific performances of his entire career, he ran all over University of the Pacific in just his second collegiate start. In Harmsworth Natural History (1910), R Lydekker described pseudo-melanistic leopard: There is, however, a peculiar dark phase in South Africa, a specimen of which was obtained in 1885 in hilly land covered with scrub-jungle, near Grahamstown. Marshall Faulk was a stand out back at San Diego State University, compared to Gale Sayers, Roger Craig and Thurman Thomas with his ability to rush and receive.

A pseudo-melanistic leopard has a normal background colour, but its excessive markings have coalesced so that its back seems to be an unbroken expanse of black. In ordinary leopards there are no black dots within the light area enclosed by the rosettes, but in some skins from Siam such dots are present, and thus serve to connect the leopard with the jaguar, in which they are normal.. [...]. In the African leopard, on the other hand, the rosettes are everywhere smaller and more crowded, and on the shoulders and head break up into small solid spots.

In Harmsworth Natural History (1910), R Lydekker wrote of leopards with jaguar-like markings: The typical Indian leopard, as already mentioned, has the rosettes large and extending over most of the fore quarters. Other color forms include red (erythristic) leopards with chocolate brown markings on a reddish background; buff leopards with orange rosettes on a cream background; pale cream leopards with pale markings and blue eyes, leopards without any distinct rosettes and leopards with striped underparts. One of the most interesting is the King Leopard (see below). As well as spotted leopards and black leopards there are several other rare mutations.