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Description

Species Name: Snow Leopard

Species Latin Name: Panthera uncia

Also known As: Ounce

Native To: The mountain ranges of Central and South Asia

Conservation Status: Endangered - Vulnerable

Photo Taken At: Melbourne Zoo

Size (length): 75-150cm (29.5 – 59.1 inches)

Size (Height): 60cm (23.6 inches)

Weight: 27-55kg (59.5 – 121.3 pounds)

Top Speed: 88kmh (54.7mph)

Lifespan: 15-21 years

Population Size: 2710-3386 estimated individuals

Population Trend: Decreasing

Diet: Carnivore

Lifestyle: Cursorial, Terrestial, Pursuit Predator, Altricial, Viviparous, Partially Migrant, Altitudinal Migrant

Group Name: Leap, lepe

Female Name: Leopardess

Male Name: Leopard

Baby Name: Cub

Mating Behavior: Polygyny

Reproduction Season: January – March

Pregnancy Duration: 90-105 days

Births Per Pregnancy: 1-5 cubs

Weaning Age: 10 weeks

Independence Age: 1 year

Female Sexual Maturity: 2-3 years

Male Sexual Maturity: 4 years

Sub Species:

Panthera uncia Uncia (Located in the range countries of the Pamir Mountains)

Panthera uncia Irbis(Located in Mongolia)

Panthera uncia Uncioides (Located in the Himalayas and Qinghai)

Description:

The snow leopard has white fur with black spots across their head as well as their back, larger hollow black circles are featured across the rest of their body. They have white belly and their eyes are either a pale green or grey in colouration. Their have bushy tails with thick fur, short muzzles, domed foreheads, large nasal cavities, stocky bodies, and short legs. Their fur is thick with hairs that can range between 5-12cm long (2.0 – 4.7 inches).

These animals have adapted to living in particularly cold environments. Their small rounded ears help reduce the amount of heat lost from their bodies to the cold. Their paws are rather broad with fur on the underside which assists with navigating the slippery snowy and mountainous landscapes they traverse. Their tail is rather thick due to fat storage, they are also rather long and flexible in order to assist with balance whilst moving through uneven terrain. Their thick fur helps prevent heat loss from their bodies, the thick fur on their tails can even be used by the Snow Leopard as a kind of blanket for their faces when they are sleeping.

Diet:

The snow leopard is a strict carnivore that will hunt a variety of different animals it can find in the wild including livestock when its preferred prey is not available. Snow leopards will approach from above using the rocky mountains as a form of cover to hide from their prey, they will then rapidly walk towards their prey to close the distance as much as possible before breaking out into a sprint for the last 25m (82 feet) before finishing the hunt with a bite to the neck. They prefer to hunt prey that weighs between 36-76kg (79 – 168 pounds) but will also hunt smaller animals if required. Prey availability and variety will vary depending on the location as well as the time of year. After securing a kill these animals will drag or carry their meal to a safe location to eat, they will be able to survive off a medium to large size kill for up to 2 weeks before needing to hunt again. These animals are capable of hunting nearly all types of animals where it inhabits with exception to that of an adult yak. Snow leopards has not been reported to have attacked humans, as it will readily abandon a hunt in the face of potential conflict or danger.

List of preferred prey for the Snow Leopard:

Himalayan Blue Sheep (Pseudois nayaur) Conservation Status: Least concern

Himalayan Tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus) Conservation Status: Near threatened

Argali (Ovis ammon) Conservation Status: Near threatened

Markhor (Capra falconeri) Conservation Status: Near threatened

Wild Goat (Capra aegagrus) Conservation Status: Near threatened

List of other animals the Snow Leopard preys on:

Himalayan Marmot (Marmota himalayana) Conservation Status: Least concern

Siberian Ibex (Capra sibirica) Conservation Status: Near threatened

White-bellied Musk Deer (Moschus leucogaster) Conservation Status: Endangered

Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) Conservation Status: Least concern

Thorold's Deer (Cervus albirostris) Conservation Status: Vulnerable

Siberian Roe Deer (Capreolus pygargus) Conservation Status: Least concern

Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta) Conservation Status: Least concern

Masked Palm Civet (Paguma larvata) Conservation Status: Least Concern

Cape Hare (Lepus capensis) Conservation Status: Least concern

House Mouse (Mus musculus) Conservation Status: Least concern

Kashmir Field Mouse (Apodemus rusiges) Conservation Status: Least concern

Grey Dwarf Hamster (Cricetulus migratorius) Conservation Status: Least Concern

Turkestan Rat (Rattus pyctoris) Conservation Status: Least concern

Snow leopards can also prey on a variety of different Pika and Vole species

Behaviour:

The snow leopard is capable of meowing, grunting, and moaning. These animals are also cap[able of purring but only whilst they are exhaling. They can also make a chuffing or prusten sound which is a non aggressive sound that can be used as a kind of greeting. Snow Leopards are not capable of generating a roar.

These animals will also leave scent marks as a means of marking their territories as well as common travel routes for later use. Generally these animals will scrape at the ground before depositing urine or feces but they will also spray their urine onto rocks to deposit their scent.

Snow leopards are generally rather solitary in nature and will use their scent marks to avoid one another an their territories. The only exception to this will be during mating season and a mother caring for her cubs. These animals are generally the most active at dawn and dusk, they are usually quite mobile throughout the day as they seek food to hunt. These animals will generally stay within one area of their home range for several weeks at a time before moving onto the next, they will change their resting spot in the home range they currently reside in multiple times a day as they continue to move from place to place.

Snow Leopards are polygynous which means that a single male can mate with multiple females. During mating season a female will approach a male and present herself by having her tail raised in the air as she walks in front of him. The mother will be pregnant for about 90-150 days where she will give birth to about 2-3 cubs. In some cases she can give birth to only a single cub or to as many as 5. The cubs will be born in a rocky shelter in a warm furry nest made from the mothers fur from the mothers underbelly. The cubs will be able to walk 5 weeks after birth and will be weaned 10 weeks after birth. The cubs will leave the den 2-4 months after birth but will remain remain dependent on their mother until they are at least one year old.

Threats:

One of the largest threats these animals continue to face are from humans. One of the largest threats are from poachers who will trap and hunt these animals for their highly sought after parts. As the animal is protected hunting these animals has been made illegal but the poaching and illegal trade of these animals parts still continues. Illegal trade networks with links to China and Russia continue to operate via Kazakhstan. The fur will be sought for this animal for traditional fur dresses in Tibet and Mongolia. The meat is highly south after in Tibet to be used as a traditional medicine and the bones are similarly highly sought after throughout China as a traditional medicine. An estimated 200-410 snow leopards were poached world wide between 2003-2016.

Other than threats from poachers these animals also face threats from farmers and further expansion of agricultural projects. Snow leopards may resort to hunting livestock which can result in conflict between farmers and these animals. With the expansion of farming livestock can overgraze which can result in the livestock out competing native animals that the snow leopards would normally rely on.

There are concerns that as the climate changes this may result in the shrinkage of the viable habitat this animal has available to live in. Estimates indicate that viable land for these animals may shrink by about 30%.

Conservation:

With the numbers of these animals continuing to decrease it is uncertain whether or not current efforts will be able to prevent it from becoming extinct. Currently there are a multitude of reserves across many countries to assist with stabilizing this animals numbers. Great efforts have been made to monitor where these animals in order to prevent poaches from targeting, in many places where this animal lives it is illegal to poach or hunt these animals unless it is for conservation purposes, or in order to protect human life or life stock.

Zoo's also try to assist with breeding the animals to try to replenish the animals numbers with the first captive snow leopard cubs being born in the 1990's at the Beijing Zoo. The Global Snow Leopard Forum was formed in 2013 by the leaders and officials of 12 countries near where this animal is known to live.

Further Reading (general information):

Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_leo…

Kidadl: kidadl.com/animal-facts/snow-l…

Animalia: animalia.bio/snow-leopard

Description

Species Name: Snow Leopard

Species Latin Name: Panthera uncia

Also known As: Ounce

Native To: The mountain ranges of Central and South Asia

Conservation Status: Endangered - Vulnerable

Photo Taken At: Melbourne Zoo

Size (length): 75-150cm (29.5 – 59.1 inches)

Size (Height): 60cm (23.6 inches)

Weight: 27-55kg (59.5 – 121.3 pounds)

Top Speed: 88kmh (54.7mph)

Lifespan: 15-21 years

Population Size: 2710-3386 estimated individuals

Population Trend: Decreasing

Diet: Carnivore

Lifestyle: Cursorial, Terrestial, Pursuit Predator, Altricial, Viviparous, Partially Migrant, Altitudinal Migrant

Group Name: Leap, lepe

Female Name: Leopardess

Male Name: Leopard

Baby Name: Cub

Mating Behavior: Polygyny

Reproduction Season: January – March

Pregnancy Duration: 90-105 days

Births Per Pregnancy: 1-5 cubs

Weaning Age: 10 weeks

Independence Age: 1 year

Female Sexual Maturity: 2-3 years

Male Sexual Maturity: 4 years

Sub Species:

Panthera uncia Uncia (Located in the range countries of the Pamir Mountains)

Panthera uncia Irbis(Located in Mongolia)

Panthera uncia Uncioides (Located in the Himalayas and Qinghai)

Description:

The snow leopard has white fur with black spots across their head as well as their back, larger hollow black circles are featured across the rest of their body. They have white belly and their eyes are either a pale green or grey in colouration. Their have bushy tails with thick fur, short muzzles, domed foreheads, large nasal cavities, stocky bodies, and short legs. Their fur is thick with hairs that can range between 5-12cm long (2.0 – 4.7 inches).

These animals have adapted to living in particularly cold environments. Their small rounded ears help reduce the amount of heat lost from their bodies to the cold. Their paws are rather broad with fur on the underside which assists with navigating the slippery snowy and mountainous landscapes they traverse. Their tail is rather thick due to fat storage, they are also rather long and flexible in order to assist with balance whilst moving through uneven terrain. Their thick fur helps prevent heat loss from their bodies, the thick fur on their tails can even be used by the Snow Leopard as a kind of blanket for their faces when they are sleeping.

Diet:

The snow leopard is a strict carnivore that will hunt a variety of different animals it can find in the wild including livestock when its preferred prey is not available. Snow leopards will approach from above using the rocky mountains as a form of cover to hide from their prey, they will then rapidly walk towards their prey to close the distance as much as possible before breaking out into a sprint for the last 25m (82 feet) before finishing the hunt with a bite to the neck. They prefer to hunt prey that weighs between 36-76kg (79 – 168 pounds) but will also hunt smaller animals if required. Prey availability and variety will vary depending on the location as well as the time of year. After securing a kill these animals will drag or carry their meal to a safe location to eat, they will be able to survive off a medium to large size kill for up to 2 weeks before needing to hunt again. These animals are capable of hunting nearly all types of animals where it inhabits with exception to that of an adult yak. Snow leopards has not been reported to have attacked humans, as it will readily abandon a hunt in the face of potential conflict or danger.

List of preferred prey for the Snow Leopard:

Himalayan Blue Sheep (Pseudois nayaur) Conservation Status: Least concern

Himalayan Tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus) Conservation Status: Near threatened

Argali (Ovis ammon) Conservation Status: Near threatened

Markhor (Capra falconeri) Conservation Status: Near threatened

Wild Goat (Capra aegagrus) Conservation Status: Near threatened

List of other animals the Snow Leopard preys on:

Himalayan Marmot (Marmota himalayana) Conservation Status: Least concern

Siberian Ibex (Capra sibirica) Conservation Status: Near threatened

White-bellied Musk Deer (Moschus leucogaster) Conservation Status: Endangered

Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) Conservation Status: Least concern

Thorold's Deer (Cervus albirostris) Conservation Status: Vulnerable

Siberian Roe Deer (Capreolus pygargus) Conservation Status: Least concern

Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta) Conservation Status: Least concern

Masked Palm Civet (Paguma larvata) Conservation Status: Least Concern

Cape Hare (Lepus capensis) Conservation Status: Least concern

House Mouse (Mus musculus) Conservation Status: Least concern

Kashmir Field Mouse (Apodemus rusiges) Conservation Status: Least concern

Grey Dwarf Hamster (Cricetulus migratorius) Conservation Status: Least Concern

Turkestan Rat (Rattus pyctoris) Conservation Status: Least concern

Snow leopards can also prey on a variety of different Pika and Vole species

Behaviour:

The snow leopard is capable of meowing, grunting, and moaning. These animals are also cap[able of purring but only whilst they are exhaling. They can also make a chuffing or prusten sound which is a non aggressive sound that can be used as a kind of greeting. Snow Leopards are not capable of generating a roar.

These animals will also leave scent marks as a means of marking their territories as well as common travel routes for later use. Generally these animals will scrape at the ground before depositing urine or feces but they will also spray their urine onto rocks to deposit their scent.

Snow leopards are generally rather solitary in nature and will use their scent marks to avoid one another an their territories. The only exception to this will be during mating season and a mother caring for her cubs. These animals are generally the most active at dawn and dusk, they are usually quite mobile throughout the day as they seek food to hunt. These animals will generally stay within one area of their home range for several weeks at a time before moving onto the next, they will change their resting spot in the home range they currently reside in multiple times a day as they continue to move from place to place.

Snow Leopards are polygynous which means that a single male can mate with multiple females. During mating season a female will approach a male and present herself by having her tail raised in the air as she walks in front of him. The mother will be pregnant for about 90-150 days where she will give birth to about 2-3 cubs. In some cases she can give birth to only a single cub or to as many as 5. The cubs will be born in a rocky shelter in a warm furry nest made from the mothers fur from the mothers underbelly. The cubs will be able to walk 5 weeks after birth and will be weaned 10 weeks after birth. The cubs will leave the den 2-4 months after birth but will remain remain dependent on their mother until they are at least one year old.

Threats:

One of the largest threats these animals continue to face are from humans. One of the largest threats are from poachers who will trap and hunt these animals for their highly sought after parts. As the animal is protected hunting these animals has been made illegal but the poaching and illegal trade of these animals parts still continues. Illegal trade networks with links to China and Russia continue to operate via Kazakhstan. The fur will be sought for this animal for traditional fur dresses in Tibet and Mongolia. The meat is highly south after in Tibet to be used as a traditional medicine and the bones are similarly highly sought after throughout China as a traditional medicine. An estimated 200-410 snow leopards were poached world wide between 2003-2016.

Other than threats from poachers these animals also face threats from farmers and further expansion of agricultural projects. Snow leopards may resort to hunting livestock which can result in conflict between farmers and these animals. With the expansion of farming livestock can overgraze which can result in the livestock out competing native animals that the snow leopards would normally rely on.

There are concerns that as the climate changes this may result in the shrinkage of the viable habitat this animal has available to live in. Estimates indicate that viable land for these animals may shrink by about 30%.

Conservation:

With the numbers of these animals continuing to decrease it is uncertain whether or not current efforts will be able to prevent it from becoming extinct. Currently there are a multitude of reserves across many countries to assist with stabilizing this animals numbers. Great efforts have been made to monitor where these animals in order to prevent poaches from targeting, in many places where this animal lives it is illegal to poach or hunt these animals unless it is for conservation purposes, or in order to protect human life or life stock.

Zoo's also try to assist with breeding the animals to try to replenish the animals numbers with the first captive snow leopard cubs being born in the 1990's at the Beijing Zoo. The Global Snow Leopard Forum was formed in 2013 by the leaders and officials of 12 countries near where this animal is known to live.

Further Reading (general information):

Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_leo…

Kidadl: kidadl.com/animal-facts/snow-l…

Animalia: animalia.bio/snow-leopard