Snow Leopard
Status: Endangered
Description: Soft
grey coat, white on belly. Head and limbs are marked with solid black or brown spots; body
is covered with brown blotches ringed with black, and a black streak runs down the back.
Tail is heavy with fur and the bottom of the paws are covered with fur -- for protection
against snow and cold. The winter coat is lighter in color.
Size: Head and body
length is 47-59 inches, while the tail is 31-39 inches long.
Habitat: Mountain
steppes and coniferous (pine/evergreen) forest scrub at high altitudes (5900-18000 feet).
Prefer mountain regions in the winter, moving to meadows and rocky areas during the summer
months.
Range: The high
mountains of Central Asia, specifically the Himalayas, Altai and Hindu Kush. Snow leopards
have a broad home range covering about 100 square miles because of the lack of abundant
prey.
Food Source: The
snow leopard's prey include wild sheep, wild boar, gazelles, hares, markhor, bobak, tahr,
marmots, mice and deer. They stalk their prey and usually spring from a distance of 20 to
50 feet.
Behavior: Solitary
creatures, only pairing during the breeding season. They do not roar. Snow leopards are
considered nocturnal, but seem to be most active in the early morning and late afternoon.
They den in rocky caverns and crevices.
Reproduction: Breeding
season is usually January-May, with gestation lasting 98-103 days. A female will give
birth to one to four young in the spring in a rocky shelter lined with her fur. The young
open their eyes at 7-9 days, eat solid food at 2 months and follow their mother on hunts
at three months. Cubs remain with the mother through their first winter.
Population: Extremely
rare in most of their range due to the demand for skins. Although trade in snow leopard
furs is illegal, it continues, threatening the snow leopard's existence. An estimated
3,000-10,000 are left in the wild, and about 370 are in captivity.
Longevity: Snow
leopards have lived up to 15 years in captivity.
Survival Threats: Poaching
for the fur trade.
Legal Protection: CITES,
Appendix I, Endangered Species Act.
Conservation: Habitat
protection, captive breeding, stiff penalties for those harming snow leopards, and public
education.
