Who are the Snow Leopards?

8325503008_e65a7e233a_oCommonly found in the mountains of Central Asia, these endangered grey leopards are covered by beautiful thick fur with spots of black or brown aiding them in camouflaging from their prey. They also have wide fur covered paws which act as natural snowshoes and long tails which act as blankets helping them to perfectly adapt to the cold habitats they live in.

Majority of these Snow Leopards can be found in Afghanistan to Kazakhstan, Russia , India and china. However, China inhibits about 60% of the snow leopard population. Snow leopards are commonly found in areas with steep cliffs, ravines and rocky outcrops where they can easily camouflage and ambush potential preys.

Male Snow Leopard jumping, February, Altaï Mountains, Mongolia.Snow Leopards can easily kill animals up to three times their weight where they stalk their prey before pouncing on to them from distances up to 20-50 feet with the help of their powerful and long hind limbs. They primarily prey on wild sheep and goats and other smaller creatures like marmots, game birds and rodents. However, these leopards sometimes prey on domestic animals which costs them their lives contributing to the decline in their species.

Despite the large areas they can be found in, there are approximately only 4,000 to 6,500 snow leopards left in the wild, with about 6 to 700 in zoos worldwide. Snow Leopards are normally found alone since they only pair up during the mating season, between January and middle of March.