Two Amur leopard cubs -- considered among the “most endangered large mammals in the world” -- have been born at the San Diego Zoo.

Zoo officials say a 4-year-old leopard named Satka gave birth to the cubs on April 5. It’s the first time Amur leopards have been born at the zoo since the species first arrived in 2011.

Capable of running at speeds of up to 37 miles per hour, the adult big cats have been reported to leap more than 19 feet horizontally and up to 10 feet vertically.

Still, even with such speed and agility, Amur leopards are so critically endangered that the World Wildlife Fund describes the species as the the world’s most rare big cat.

The mostly solitary leopards once roamed across northeastern Russia, parts of China and the Korean peninsula, but their populations have been decimated as their habitats were destroyed and they were hunted by poachers for their thick, spotted coat.



