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Description
Irbis , or snow leopard, or snow leopard" (Latin Panthera uncia, formerly Latin Uncia uncia) is a large predatory mammal of the cat family that lives in the mountains of Central Asia. The only modern representative of the family that lives exclusively in cold climates.

Irbis is distinguished by a thin, long, flexible body, relatively short legs, a small head and a very long tail. Reaching a length of 200-230 cm including the tail, it weighs up to 55 kg. The fur color is light smoky gray with ring-shaped and solid dark spots. Due to the inaccessibility of the habitat and the low density of the species, many aspects of its biology still remain poorly understood.

Currently, the number of snow leopards is catastrophically small - the population of the species in 2003, according to various estimates, ranged from 4 to 7 thousand individuals, in 2020 - from 2.7 to 3.4 thousand. In the 20th century, it was included in the IUCN Red Book, the Red Book of Russia, as well as in the protection documents of other countries.

Description
Irbis , or snow leopard, or snow leopard" (Latin Panthera uncia, formerly Latin Uncia uncia) is a large predatory mammal of the cat family that lives in the mountains of Central Asia. The only modern representative of the family that lives exclusively in cold climates.

Irbis is distinguished by a thin, long, flexible body, relatively short legs, a small head and a very long tail. Reaching a length of 200-230 cm including the tail, it weighs up to 55 kg. The fur color is light smoky gray with ring-shaped and solid dark spots. Due to the inaccessibility of the habitat and the low density of the species, many aspects of its biology still remain poorly understood.

Currently, the number of snow leopards is catastrophically small - the population of the species in 2003, according to various estimates, ranged from 4 to 7 thousand individuals, in 2020 - from 2.7 to 3.4 thousand. In the 20th century, it was included in the IUCN Red Book, the Red Book of Russia, as well as in the protection documents of other countries.