Research overview: are African leopards one subspecies?

Molecular studies consistently show that African leopards, despite occupying a vast and varied continent, harbor relatively shallow genetic structure compared with the deep splits separating Asian forms. This overview examines the question of whether all African leopards constitute a single subspecies, Panthera pardus pardus. It reviews evidence that Africa holds the species' ancestral diversity yet does not partition cleanly into multiple well-defined lineages, leading most authorities to lump African leopards together. The piece discusses exceptions and ongoing debate, including possible structure in West African and forest populations, and how sampling gaps limit firm conclusions. It connects to the broader pattern that leopard subspecies were drastically reduced by genetics, with the African form serving as the diverse but taxonomically unified core of the species.