The leopard in

heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and genealo ...

is traditionally depicted the same as a

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'', native to Sub-Saharan Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body (biology), body; a short, rounded head; round ears; and a dark, hairy tuft at the ...

, but in a walking position with its head turned to full face, thus it is also known as a lion passant guardant in some texts, though leopards more naturally depicted make some appearances in modern heraldry. ''The Oxford Guide to Heraldry'' makes little mention of leopards but glosses ''leopard'' as a "term used in medieval heraldry for ''lion passant guardant''. Now used for the natural beast." Another name for this beast is the ounce.

Early heraldic leopards

The typical heraldic leopard differs from the natural

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant cat species in the genus ''Panthera''. It has a pale yellowish to dark golden fur with dark spots grouped in rosettes. Its body is slender and muscular reaching a length of with a ...

(''Panthera pardus'') in that it has no spots and often has a mane, but is generally similar in appearance to a heraldic lion, other than its

attitude Attitude or Attitude may refer to: Philosophy and psychology * Attitude (psychology), a disposition or state of mind ** Attitude change * Propositional attitude, a mental state held towards a proposition Science and technology * Orientation ...

. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, leopards were thought to be a

crossbreed A crossbreed is an organism with purebred parents of two different breeds, varieties, or populations. A domestic animal of unknown ancestry, where the breed status of only one parent or grandparent is known, may also be called a crossbreed though ...

between a

and a pard. Arthur Charles Fox-Davies wrote in 1909 that the distinction between lions (which were constantly rampant) and leopards (which were necessarily walking) originated in French heraldry and was brought into

English heraldry English heraldry is the form of coats of arms and other heraldic bearings and insignia used in England. It lies within the so-called Gallo-British tradition. Coats of arms in England are regulated and granted to individuals by the English kings ...

along with so much else of English language and custom deriving from French traditions. But "the use of the term ''leopard'' in heraldry to signify a certain position for the lion never received any extensive sanction, and has long since become obsolete in British armory," though the distinction is still observed in French

blazon In heraldry and heraldic vexillology, a blazon is a formal description of a coat of arms, flag or similar emblem, from which the reader can reconstruct an accurate image. The verb ''to blazon'' means to create such a description. The visual d ...

. Fox-Davies further notes that the lions depicted in the

royal arms of England The coat of arms of England is the coat of arms historically used as arms of dominion by the monarchs of the Kingdom of England, and now used to symbolise England generally.: "The three golden lions upon a ground of red have certainly continued ...

, though passant guardant, have never represented anything other than ''lions'', also pointing out that another ancient (if controversial) rule distinguishing leopards from lions dictated that while several leopards could appear on one shield, there could not be more than one lion on the shield (with the apparent exception of two lions combatant); multiple rampant lions on one shield were called ''lioncels''.Fox-Davies (1909), p. 174.

Countries with leopards in their coats of arms

One leopard

* Coat of arms of Fiji * Coat of arms of Ghana

Two leopards

* Coat of arms of the principality of Hohenlohe * Coat of arms of Normandy

Three leopards

Coat of arms of Canada The coat of arms of Canada, also known as the Royal Coat of Arms of Canada or, formally, as the Arms of His Majesty The King in Right of Canada is the arms of dominion of the Monarchy of Canada, Canadian monarch and, thus, also the official ...

Coat of arms of Denmark The coat of arms of Denmark () has a lesser and a greater version. The state coat of arms () consists of three pale blue lion (heraldry), lions attitude (heraldry)#Passant, passant wearing crown (heraldic charge), crowns, accompanied by nine re ...

(12th century - 1819. After that changed to lions.) *

Coat of arms of Estonia The coat of arms of the Republic of Estonia () is a golden shield which includes a picture of three left-facing blue lions with red tongues in the middle, with golden oak branches placed on both sides of the shield. The coat of armes was derived ...

Coat of arms of England The coat of arms of England is the coat of arms historically used as arms of dominion by the monarchs of the Kingdom of England, and now used to symbolise England generally.: "The three golden lions upon a ground of red have certainly continue ...

* Coat of arms of Jersey * Coat of arms of Guernsey *

Coat of arms of Croatia The coat of arms of the Republic of Croatia () consists of one main shield and five smaller shields which form a crown over the main shield. The main coat of arms is a checkerboard that consists of 13 red and 12 white fields. It is also informa ...

Leopard's heads

* Coat of arms of Dalmatia, until 1526 the official arms of Croatia and was later used by

Kingdom of Dalmatia The Kingdom of Dalmatia (; ; ) was a crown land of the Austrian Empire (1815–1867) and the Cisleithanian half of Austria-Hungary (1867–1918). It encompassed the entirety of the region of Dalmatia, with its capital at Zadar. History The Habs ...

Habsburg monarchy The Habsburg monarchy, also known as Habsburg Empire, or Habsburg Realm (), was the collection of empires, kingdoms, duchies, counties and other polities (composite monarchy) that were ruled by the House of Habsburg. From the 18th century it is ...

; it is now part of

. *A leopard's face is frequently shown

Jessant-de-lys Jessant-de-lys is a Heraldry, heraldic term denoting a Fleur-de-lis, fleur-de-lys issuing out of any object. It is most frequently seen in conjunction with a Leopard (heraldry), leopard's face, meaning in heraldic language the face of a lion. De ...

, as in the 13th century arms of Cantilupe displayed by

Thomas de Cantilupe Thomas de Cantilupe (25 August 1282; also spelled ''Cantelow, Cantelou, Canteloupe'', List of Latinised names, Latinised to ''de Cantilupo'') was Lord Chancellor, Lord Chancellor of England and Bishop of Hereford. He was canonised in 1320 by P ...

and his nephew William de Cantilupe.

Natural leopards

* Coat of arms of Benin *

Arms of the Democratic Republic of the Congo Arms or ARMS may refer to: * Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to: People * Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader Coat of arms or weapons *Armaments or weapons ** ...

(formerly

Zaire Zaire, officially the Republic of Zaire, was the name of the Democratic Republic of the Congo from 1971 to 18 May 1997. Located in Central Africa, it was, by area, the third-largest country in Africa after Sudan and Algeria, and the 11th-la ...

) * Coat of arms of Gabon (

black panther A black panther is the Melanism, melanistic colour variant of the leopard (''Panthera pardus'') and the jaguar (''Panthera onca''). Black panthers of both species have excess black pigments, but their typical Rosette (zoology), rosettes are al ...

) * Coat of arms of Malawi *

Coat of arms of Somalia The coat of arms of Somalia was adopted on October 10, 1956 and features a golden framed shield of the Somali flag supported by two Leopards standing on spears. The Leopard is a common animal seen in Somalia. Leopards are a common motif in So ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Leopard (Heraldry) Felids in heraldry