The Snow Leopard
What is the Snow Leopard
The Snow Leopard, scientific name Panthera Uncia is a large species of leopard that is characterized by its pale gray fur with
black spots and rings. It resides in the mountains of central Asia. The number of snow leopards in the world is 5060 to 7200.
Its numbers are gradually declining because humans have pushed far into the Snow Leopards habitat causing habitat loss
and essentially, rapidly decreasing populations. It lives at altitudes anywhere from 9000 to 17800 feet.
Habitat
The snow Leopards habitat is in the mountains of central Asia. It prefers to live by steep cliffs and
broken rocky terrain. In summer, they live in high and mountainous meadows and rocky outcrops. In
winter, they settle down into forests nestled in the mountains and continue their life over there. A
Snow Leopards territory can be anywhere from 12 square kilometres to over 500 square kilometres
depending on each specific leopards individual needs or its will for a larger territory. For example, a
mother Snow Leopard with young babies may need a larger territory so she can gather food for her
young and with a larger territory comes more food. She might also need a lot of space to raise her
young and to teach them how to survive in the wild whereas a lone snow leopard may not need a lot
of space as it only has to provide for itself and does not have anyone else to worry about.
Countries and Continents Where the
Snow Leopard Lives
The Snow Leopard is confirmed to live in at least twelve countries. Those countries are Afghanistan, China, India,
Pakistan, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Bhutan, Nepal, Mongolia, and Tajikistan. China contains about
60 percent of Snow Leopards making it the country with the largest contingent of Snow Leopards. All of these
countries are located in the region of Central/South East Asia. The Snow Leopards range has been lost due to
poaching and civilization. The Snow Leopards range used to spread across nearly all of Asia but is now just a large
pocket of space.
Interesting Facts
5 interesting facts about the Snow Leopard are:
. The Snow Leopard is one of the five big cats, the others being the Tiger, Lion, Jaguar, and Leopard.
. Although it is a big cat, it does not possess the ability to roar.
. Adult Snow Leopards usually weigh from 60 lbs to 121lbs.
. Snow Leopards are born blind.
. Snow leopards hunt mountain goats and ibex sheep, both animals that are more than three times their size.
Why is the Snow leopard Endangered
There are three main reasons that Snow Leopards are endangered today. The first main reason is that the bones,
organs, and skin are considered valuable by asian medicine men. Tigers are preferred but since tigers are harder to
find, they were substituted for tigers. This continued for many years and the number of Snow Leopards dwindled
down. The second reason is that farmers pushed their livestock into the Snow leopards habitat. The livestock grazed
on whatever little food there was and by dong so, they left less food for the Snow Leopards main prey, the mountain
goat and ibex sheep. They began to lose their numbers and therefore, the Snow Leopard had less prey. The third
reason is poaching. People in central Asia don’t have a lot of money so killing Snow Leopard might be a way to make
money. People can fetch from 200 dollars to 10 000 dollars for a Snow Leopard so for some, the offer might be too
tempting to resist.
Things We Can Do to Help
The Snow Leopard is amongst the most endangered animals on the planet but there are many things that we can do to
help. One thing we can do is that we can support organizations devoted to the well-being of animals . Supporting and
donating to these organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund. Poaching is another major reason that the Snow Leopard
is endangered. Poaching is one of the most profitable illicit trades and to help stop poaching and do your part, you should
not buy anything that is poached such as fur coats or gloves or even other accessories. Another thing that you can do is
raise awareness about the Snow Leopard. But don’t stop there. Raise awareness about other animals and help save the
wild.
THE END