Snow Leopards

Yay! This is my first post on an animal, so congrats, Mr. Snow Leopard!

Snow Leopard, No Copyright intended, by nationalgeographic.com

(Click "Read More! >>" to learn more about the Snow Leopard, more pictures, Fast Facts, and a video!)


The snow leopard is a relatively large cat that makes their home in the mountains of Central Asia.  They live in a place that's steep and full of snow, so they need to be properly adapted to survive.  They have thick fur which insulates their bodies, and their wide, fur-covered feet act as natural snowshoes and prevent them from sinking into the deep snow.  Like most cats, snow leopards have powerful legs and in turn are amazing jumpers.  In a single pounce, they can leap as far as 50 feet, or 15 meters!  Their long tails are great for balance, and they even use them as blankets to shield sensitive body parts from the harsh mountain chill.

All these adaptations help them survive and hunt their main prey: bharal, or blue sheep, that live Tibet and the Himalayas, and mountain ibex, which live everywhere else.  These amazing creatures are able to take down prey 3 times their own weight, but they also go for smaller game, such as marmots, hares, and small birds.

Sadly these beautiful spotted gray cats are endangered.  They sometimes have tastes for domestic animals, which are far easier to catch, but this leads to killings as herders try to protect their livestock.  Poaching driven by illegal fur trades and body parts that are used in Chinese medicine, are also leading them into decline.  And to make things even worse, their habitat, like many other animals, is rapidly declining.

Snow Leopard Range, No Copyright intended, by defenders.org

Snow Leopard Cub, No Copyright intended, leopard-pictures.com

Fast Facts
Type: mammal, cat
Diet: Carnivorous; bharal, mountain ibex, marmots, hares, birds, domestic animals
Habitat: Mountains of Central Asia
Size: 4-5 ft (1.2-1.5 m); Tail 36 in (91 cm)
Weight: 60-120 lb (27-54 kg)
Status: Endangered
Cool Facts:
thick fur, natural snowshoes
can jump 50 ft in single pounce
can take down prey 3 times their weight
Did you Know? They can't roar like most other big cats!
They are among the most specialized of all land predators

Snow Leopard, no copyright intended, from buzzle.com

Snow Leopard Apple Desktop Background, no copyright intended, from Apple

   Searching for the Snow Leopard, by NationalGeographic