Snow leopard

Snow leopard, large long-haired Asian cat, classified as either Panthera uncia or Uncia uncia in the family Felidae. The snow leopard inhabits highlands of central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, ranging from the Himalayas, Hindu Kush, and Plateau of Tibet in the south to the Altai Mountains and highlands west of Lake Baikal in Russia. Snow leopards are found in rocky, shrub-dominated, and grassy habitats occurring between 500 and 5,800 meters (1,640 and 19,000 feet).

Formerly classified as Leo uncia, the snow leopard has been placed—with the lion, tiger, and other big cats—in the genus Panthera. Because of the presence of certain skeletal features, such as having a shorter skull and having more-rounded eye orbits than those of other big cats, the snow leopard has also been classified by some authorities as the sole member of the genus Uncia. Genetic studies show that the common ancestor of snow leopards and tigers diverged from the lineage of big cats about 3.9 million years ago and that snow leopards branched from tigers about 3.2 million years ago.

Natural history

Adult snow leopards grow to a length of about 2.1 meters (7 feet), including the 0.9-meter- (3-foot-) long tail. They stand about 0.6 meter (2 feet) high at the shoulder and weigh 23–41 kg (50–90 pounds), with males slightly heavier and larger than females. Their soft coat, consisting of a dense insulating undercoat and a thick outercoat of hairs about 5 cm (2 inches) long, is pale grayish with dark rosettes and a dark streak along the spine. The underparts, on which the fur may be 10 cm (4 inches) long, are uniformly whitish. In addition to their insulating coat, they have several other physical adaptations to conserve heat in cold mountain environments, including broad front paws, small rounded ears, and a wide head containing large nasal cavities, which can warm the cold air it takes in.

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Snow leopards are crepuscular hunters, most active at dawn and dusk. They hunt various animals, such as marmots, wild sheep, ibex (Capra), hares, and domestic livestock, often ambushing their prey by leaping down on them from a rock outcrop. Although they are capable of attacking and killing human beings, snow leopards tend to avoid people, and attacks are extremely rare.

Adults live a solitary existence; however, males and females will interact with one another during breeding season, which lasts from about January to March. Males often mate with several females. Breeding females produce litters of two to four young after a gestation period lasting between 90 and 105 days. Young leave their mother after about age one, with females becoming sexually mature after age two and males reaching the same stage by age four. Although snow leopards can live as long as 21 years in captivity, their lives are shorter in the wild, perhaps only 10 to 12 years.

Conservation status

Between 1986 and 2017 the snow leopard was listed as an endangered species on the Red List of Threatened Species from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). However, in 2017 the species’ status was changed to “vulnerable” after a population calculation error was discovered in the species’ 2008 population assessment. Although no comprehensive population surveys exist, the best estimates place the population somewhere between 2,700 and 3,400 adults and 7,500 animals of all ages in total.

Several factors have contributed to their decline. Their wild prey has decreased as herding and ranching activities have expanded throughout their geographic range. They are often killed by herders and ranchers whose livestock they have taken, and their bones and hides are sought after by hunters and poachers for the illegal animal trade. The IUCN notes that the expansion of human activities of all types (including mining, road building, and agriculture) into snow leopard habitats, along with climate change, continues to threaten the species.

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