Scientific name: panthera uncia
IUCN status: endangered
Habitat: Native to the cold snow covered
mountain ranges of Central and Southern Asia
Diet: Carnivore- hares, birds, rodents,
wild goats and sheep amongst others
Snow leopards live in high mountain areas and in order
to keep warm they have very long, thick fur. They have
very large, furry paws that help them to grip slippery
rocks, act like snowshoes to stop them sinking in deep
snow and protect their pads from sharp rock edges.
If you look closely at them you will notice that they
have very long tails in comparison with our lions and
jaguars. Their tails have two uses. When temperatures
fall below zero they can wrap their tail around their
body and faces in order to keep warm.
Did you know? These endangered cats appear
to be in dramatic decline because of killings by herders
whose livestock they sometimes attack and due to poaching
driven by illegal trades in pelts and in body parts used
for traditional Chinese medicine. Vanishing habitat and
the decline of the cats' large mammal prey are also contributing
factors.
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