Snow Leopard: Corte Smith

Snow Leopard: Panthera Uncia
by Corte Smith

Snow Leopard

Description:

The snow leopard's fur, which is thick with hairs between 5 and 12 cm long, is whitish to gray with black spots on head and neck, but larger rosettes on the back, flanks and bushy tail. Its tail is 80 to 105 cm long. Its body is stocky, short-legged and slightly smaller than the other cats reaching a shoulder height of 56 cm, and ranging in head to body size from 75 to 150 cm. Its eyes are pale green or gray in color. Its muzzle is short and its forehead domed. Its nasal cavities are large. It weighs between 22 and 55 kg, with an occasional large male reaching 75 kg and small female of under 25 kg. Snow Leopards lives no longer than 20 years, however can live up to 28 years in captivity.

Where to find Snow Leopards

The Snow Leopard can be found in the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. The global population is estimated to number 4,000- 7,000 mature individuals. The population is declining about 10% in the next 23 years.

The snow leopard inhabits alpine 

and subalpine zones at elevations from 3,000 to 4,500 m, ranging from western Afghanistan to Mongolia and western China. In the northern range countries, it also occurs at lower elevations (Snow Leopards."Wikipedia"). 

Ecology:

The snow leopard is solitary, except for females with cubs. They hide their cubs in dens in the mountains for extended periods.

Mother and her cubs waiting outside den

An individual snow leopard lives within a well-defined home range, but does not defend its territory aggressively when encroached upon by other snow leopards. Home ranges vary greatly in size. Where prey is abundant, a home range may be as small as 12 km² to 40 km²  and up to five to 10 animals are found here per 100 km²; in habitats with sparse prey, though, an area of 1,000 km² supports only five of these cats. However, a new study lasting from 2008 to 2014 indicates their ranges are much greater than believed; a male snow leopard requires a territory of around 80 square miles, while females require up to 48 square miles of territory. Taking this data into account, it is estimated that 40 percent of the 170 protected areas in place are smaller than the space required to support a single male snow leopard.

Behavior:

Snow Leopards camouflaged while napping during the daylight

Like other cats, snow leopards use scent marks by scraping the ground with the hind feet before depositing urine or scat, but they also spray urine onto sheltered patches of rock to indicate their territories and common travel routes.

Snow leopards are most active at dawn and dusk They are known for being extremely secretive and well camouflaged (Sayano).

Diet:

Snow Leopards are one of the top predators in the high mountain food web of Central Asia. The Snow Leopard can kill prey three times their weight. Blue Sheep and Ibex are some of the Snow Leopards favor meals (“What”).

Snow leopard stocking a goat

Snow Leopards are Carnivores that are opportunists when it comes to feeding. They ambush their predators and will attack from above when possible. The Snow Leopard can jump as far as 14 meters to catch its prey. The Snow Leopard will feed on its kill for 3 to 4 days  (“Snow Leopard- Facts”).

Snow Leopard Conservation Status:

In 1972, the IUCN placed the snow leopard on its Red List of Threatened Species as ‘Endangered’. Due to the high demand for their coats, snow leopards are illegally hunted for the fur trade. The pelts are a sought-after commodity in places like Central Asia, Eastern Europe and Russia where they are turned into coats and other garments. Snow leopard bones and body parts are also used for traditional Asian medicine.

There are numerous agencies working to conserve the snow leopard and its threatened mountain ecosystems. These include the Snow Leopard Trust, the Snow Leopard Conservancy and the Snow Leopard Network. Their focus on research, community programs in snow leopard regions and education programs are aimed at understanding the cats needs as well as the needs of the villagers and herder communities impacting the snow leopard’s life and habitat (“Snow Leopard- Facts”).

What you can do:

You can directly support these efforts by joining the International Snow Leopard Trust or – even better – by purchasing some of the handicrafts made by the people who are the MOST important link in ensuring the cats survive in the wild for ever. Please visit The international Snow Leopard Trust Web-site: www.snowleopard.org for more general information about snow leopards in the wild. Go to the Irbis Enterprises Web-site to see products made by the herders and to learn more about conservation efforts in Mongolia www.irbis-enterprises.com Thanks so much for your passion for cats, they need all the help we can give("Saving")!

Interesting facts:

 Snow Leopards playing

Snow leopards are very playful, love to roll in the snow. They often slide down a steep hill at the back and at the end they quickly turn over and fall into the snow on all four paws. After the games, or hunting they make themselves comfortable to bask in the sun.

Being in a good mood, the snow leopard purrs just like a house cat. Snow Leopards also can not roar (Sayano). 

Sources:

https://bigcatrescue.org/save-snow-leopards/ 

“Saving The Snow Leopards.” Big Cat Rescue, 17 Jan. 2018, bigcatrescue.org/save-snow-leopards/.
http://snowleopardconservancy.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/bolliger-resized-sl1.jpg (photo)

https://www.rgo.ru/en/projects/protection-endangered-species-snow-leopard/about-snow-leopard

Sayano-Shushenskiy Reserve. “About the Snow Leopard.” ABOUT THE SNOW LEOPARD, Russian Geographical Society, 2017, www.rgo.ru/en/projects/protection-endangered-species-snow-leopard/about-snow-leopard.

https://animalcorner.co.uk/animals/snow-leopard/

“Snow Leopard - Facts, Diet & Habitat Information.” Animal Corner, 2018, animalcorner.co.uk/animals/snow-leopard/.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_leopard

“Snow Leopard.” Wikipedia, 22 Feb. 2018, 12:36, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow leopard.

http://snowleopardconservancy.org/kids/text/leopardfood.htm

“What do snow leopards eat?” Snow Leopards for Kids, Snow Leopard Conservancy, 2008, http://snowleopardconservancy.org/kids/text/leopardfood.htm.