4282-Snow Leopard Standing 122 cm.L

Snow Leopard

Description Snow Leopards are rare leopards that live in the high mountains of Central Asia. They naturally live from Afghanistan to Kazakstan and Russia in the north, and India and China in the east. They prefer to live in rocky outcrops, cliff areas, and ravines because these provide them with camouflage that is useful when ambushing their prey. The thick fur of Snow leopards keeps them warm and their powerful hind limbs enable them to leap as far as 50 feet. Moreover, they use their long tail for balancing and as blankets for covering the sensitive parts of their body. Snow leopards are classified as carnivorous animals and they normally prey upon the blue sheep of Himalaya and Tibet, as well as the mountain ibex. They also eat wild goats, hares, wild sheep, rodents, marmots, and game birds. They are considered solitary creatures and only pair during the breeding season. Furthermore, another interesting fact is that they cannot roar unlike other huge cats.

Status Snow Leopards are listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as Endangered. Over the past two generations or 16 years, their population is estimated to have declined by at least 20 percent. The reason behind this is that they are killed by herders because they prey on domestic animals. Moreover, other major threats include habitat loss and poaching for the illegal trading of pelts and body parts that are utilized in traditional medicine.