Snow Leopard - Wild Spotlight

 

Snow leopards have evolved to live in some of the harshest conditions on Earth. Their white-gray coat spotted with large black rosettes blends in perfectly with the steep and rocky mountains of Central Asia.

The Snow Leopard is a medium sized feline, and one that is absolutely gorgeous. It has a very thick fur coat due to the regions where it lives. The coat is a gray or tan color with dark spots on it. They have white on the bottom of the face, the neck, and the underside of the belly. They feature very large eyes, a large head, and rounded ears.

Description

The paws on the Snow Leopard are very large. This allows them to have lots of power. This also offers them the ability to walk effortlessly across snow and ice. This design of their Anatomy gives them a huge advantage over prey they are chasing. They have large nasal passages which are necessary since they are taking in such thin air in those high mountain elevations.

Distribution

The snow Leopard can live up to 18,000 feet above sea level. It can be extremely cold in such areas. They live in South Asia in the Mountain areas. They have a very wide distribution though. There aren't very many of them remaining in China or Russia. Most of them are in the area of Nepal. However, their locations can shift depending on food availability. They are very adaptable and that is part of what makes them so interesting.

Behavior

For the Snow Leopard the majority of life will be spent alone. They do pair up for mating and the females with young seem to enjoy their role. These animals can be very aggressive when they feel their home range has been invaded by others. Males have a range that is usually twice as large as that of the females. It is common for the females range to overlap in several locations.

Diet and Feeding

The remote living areas of the Snow Leopard doesn't prevent it from finding plenty of food. They do take every opportunity though to find it, and they will kill again even if they don't need to. Due to the cold region where they live they can keep their food longer without it spoiling.

They often consume a variety of small creatures such as rodents and hares. They also take down very large prey such as deer. They have the strength to do so due to their jaws so it doesn't matter if those animals are several times larger than they are.

Reproduction

Mating takes place at the end of winter but there is only a very short opportunity here. A pair will stay with each other for several days and mate continually during that period of time. This increases the chance of conception. It will be the falling spring when these young are born. The mother does what she can to prepare for them including finding a den for them to be born in.

She will offer them her milk for a few months and then introduce them to meat. They will be old enough to help her hunt within six months. They are able to take care of their own needs when they are less than a year old. However, they may stay with her and hunt in her area for the next year or so.

Conservation

The fact that humans continue to move into the area where the Snow Leopard once lived means it is branching into new territory. They have been known to kill domestic pets as well as livestock. When that occurs they are often shot or poisoned. Most conservation efforts revolve around trying to protect their natural environment. The Snow Leopard has never been documented as killing a human so they are less of a threat than other felines.

Top facts

• At almost a metre long, the thick tail of the snow leopard is used for balance and can be wrapped around its body for warmth.
• Snow leopards are able to jump as far as 50 feet (15 metres).
• Snow leopards are capable of killing prey up to three times their own weight.
• Snow leopard fur was once highly prized in the international fashion trade and around 1,000 pelts were traded a year in the 1920’s.
• With long body hair, thick, woolly belly fur, and an enlarged nasal cavity to warm inhaled air, the snow leopard is well adapted for the cold.

 Threats

The sole predator of snow leopards? Humans. Hunting, habitat loss and retaliatory killings are the main reasons this big cat is now listed as an endangered species.

Retaliatory Killings

Snow leopards are often killed by local farmers because they prey on livestock such as sheep, goats, horses, and yak calves. The animals which snow leopards would typically hunt—such as the Argali sheep—are also hunted by local communities. As their natural prey becomes harder to find, snow leopards are forced to kill livestock for survival.

Habitat Fragmentation

The snow leopard habitat range continues to decline from human settlement and increased use of grazing space. This development increasingly fragments the historic range of the species.

Climate Change

Climate change poses perhaps the greatest long-term threat to snow leopards. Impacts from climate change could result in a loss of up to 30 percent of the snow leopard habitat in the Himalayas alone.