backbackSnow Leopards
The luxurious, smoky gray coat of the
snow leopard insulates it against the frigid winter temperatures.
The extremely long tail is often wrapped around the nose and
face, like a muffler, to prevent frostbite from chilling winds.
Long, thick hair on the paws of snow leopards increases their
width and breadth, often enabling them to glide across snow
without breaking through the crust.
Peerless creature of stealth, silence and surprise, snow leopards
are the best jumpers among the big cats. Standing leaps of up to
15 metres have be observed.
Shy, secretive
and exceedingly rare, the snow leopard has been observered only
fleetingly in its natural habitat. It is believed that fewer than
800 animals remain in the wild. This decline is caused by a
strong tradition in sports hunting, a demand for fur, and
depletion of the cats natural prey.
With snow leopards becoming increasingly rare in nature, zoo-bred animals
may provide the only hope to retain this species among the
living.
Return
to my Homepage
Return to GeoCities
SiliconValley