25.10.2020 Animal of the week: Snow leopard

Hello everyone,

This week's post is about snow leopards. Snow leopards are incredible big cats that roam the mountain ranges of Asia. Snow leopards are very powerful and can climb up and down steep slopes easily, as well as jump up six times their body length. The snow leopard's tail provides balance, agility and warmth. The snow leopard is elusive and solitary and therefore very difficult to spot. They are very important though, because they are at the top of the food chain in this area.

Habitat

Snow leopards live in northern and central Asia's mountain ranges. These are some of the harshest conditions on earth. However, they white-grey coat with large black spots allows them to blend in with the rocky mountain terrain. They are found in twelve countries including China, Russia and Mongolia.

Diet

Snow leopards can kill prey up to three times their body weight. This is an incredible feat to pull off as they manage this on their own. They eat sheep, marmots, deer, some smaller mammals and occasionally some game birds. However, they still often struggle to survive in their harsh environment, especially when raising small cubs.

Threats

Snow leopards are listed as Vulnerable; there are currently only somewhere between 4000-6500. This is mainly because hunting and the habitat loss brought about by the expansion of nearby settlements and grassing lands. Unfortunately, they are also hunted for sport. Furthermore, they are also sometimes shot by local residents in an attempt to scare them away, or as a retaliatory killing because they have preyed on livestock.

We hope you enjoyed this week's post and learned something new about these amazing animals.

Sources:
https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/snow-leopard
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/snow-leopard
https://www.britannica.com/animal/snow-leopard

Images:
White Tiger on Grey Rock is owned by Pixabay on pexels.com.
Snow leopard roaring while walking on stones is owned by David Ogden on pexels.com.

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