Fragmented across Central Asia, China, and Tibet, snow leopards (Uncia uncia) roam through mountain corridors and montane habitats. Today, scientists think there are between 4,000 and 7,500 snow leopards exist in the wild with most of them living within China. But accurate estimates are difficult to make when dealing with this elusive master of camouflage in its unwelcoming home.
Snow leopards have developed many interesting characteristics that help it survive in the cold, mountainous terrain they call home. Their long tails help them balance on steep, rocky terrain, and their large paws and furry feet act as snow shoes in deep mountain snows. Living at heights of 2,000 to 6,000 kilometers, they also have special nasal cavities that help them breath low-oxygen mountain air.
Did you know? Snow leopards can leap vertically 6-10 meters (20-30 feet). This helps them hunt prey on steep, rocky mountainsides.
Because food is scarce at such high altitudes, snow leopards are solitary animals, hunting and eating whatever meat they are able to find – including deer, marmots, boars and farm livestock. This also means, however, that they are not as possessive of their home ranges. In areas where food is more plentiful, a snow leopard might have a small range of 12-15 km2, whereas if food is not available, a snow leopard may roam up to 40 km2 to find sufficient food.
Threats to the Snow Leopard
Snow leopards are hunted for their bones, which are in demand to replace tiger bones in Chinese medicinal traditions. Additionally, in eastern Asia, fur coats and similar items made from snow leopard skins have become increasingly popular.
Habitat loss and changing patterns of land use have also threatened snow leopard populations. In the Central Asian mountains, the animals that snow leopards prey on have been hunted to dangerously low numbers, threatening the food supply of these sleek animals. Decreasing wild food supplies have often driven snow leopards to small farms, resulting in unfortunate clashes between these threatened animals and local farmers.
Although some conservation projects have been put in place to conserve the habitats and environments for the snow leopard populations, additional projects focusing on local education and corridor-building would make an important contribution to snow leopard conservation.