Mac OS X For Unix Geeks, 4th Edition

Colophon

The animal on the cover of Mac OS X for Unix Geeks, Fourth Edition, is a leopard (Panthera pardus). The leopard is the fifth largest of all the big cats, behind the lion, tiger, jaguar, and mountain lion. It weighs between 70 and 200 pounds and has a body length of four to six feet and a tail length of three to four feet. Leopards are strongly built, with a large head and powerful jaws, so they are able to kill prey much larger than themselves. They are nimble and stealthy hunters.

Leopards stalk their quarry and attack with a fatal bite to the neck. They feed on a wide variety of animals, including wildebeest, monkeys, rodents, insects, fish, snakes, and birds. They often store their larger kills in trees to protect them from scavengers and other cats. Extremely agile climbers, leopards can haul prey up to three times their body weight into a tree.

Leopards are the most widespread feline in the world; they can be found in Africa, India, China, and Central Asia. They are highly adaptable and live in open savannah, jungles, forests, and mountains. Leopards are nocturnal and spend their days resting in trees, where their spotted coats provide good camouflage. Most leopards have a tawny base coat with a black rosette (spot) pattern. The shade of their base coat depends on their environment: lighter colored leopards tend to live in warm, dry areas and open plains, and darker colored leopards tend to live in dense forests, as the darker coat helps them stay hidden.

The cover image ...