Evolutionary History
The evolutionary history of the Zanzibar Leopard parallels that of other endemics on Unguja, including the Zanzibar Servaline Genet and the Zanzibar Red Colobus. It is thought to have evolved in isolation from the African Leopard since at least the end of the last ice age, when the island was separated from mainland Tanzania by rising sea levels. The founder effect and adaptation to local conditions produced a smaller leopard than its continental relatives and one that has “changed its spots”, in that its more numerous rosettes have partially disintegrated into spots.
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