The English name "leopard" comes from Old French leupart or Middle French liepart, that derives from Latin leopardus and ancient Greek λέοπάρδος ( leopardos). Leopard skins have been popular in fashion. Leopards have had cultural roles in Ancient Greece, West Africa and modern Western culture. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because leopard populations are threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, and are declining in large parts of the global range. Both male and female leopards typically reach sexual maturity at the age 2–2.5 years. Females usually give birth to a litter of 2–4 cubs once in 15–24 months. It is a solitary animal outside the mating season and when raising cubs. It relies on its spotted pattern for camouflage as it stalks and ambushes its prey, which it sometimes drags up a tree. It is an opportunistic predator, hunting mostly ungulates and primates. It is adapted to a variety of habitats ranging from rainforest to steppe, including arid and montane areas. Fossil leopard bones were excavated at 40 sites in Europe, where it had occurred at least since the Pleistocene, but survived until about 24,000 years ago. It probably evolved in Africa about 0.5 to 0.8 million years ago and radiated across Asia about 0.2 and 0.3 million years ago. Today, eight subspecies are recognised in its wide range in Africa and Asia. The leopard was first described in 1758, and several subspecies were proposed in the 19th and 20th centuries. Its body is slender and muscular reaching a length of 92–183 cm (36–72 in) with a 66–102 cm (26–40 in) long tail and a shoulder height of 60–70 cm (24–28 in). It has a pale yellowish to dark golden fur with dark spots grouped in rosettes. The leopard ( Panthera pardus) is one of the five extant species in the genus Panthera. Present and historical distribution of the leopard
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