Snow Leopard

The snow leopard (or Panthera uncia), identifiable by its white to grey fur, black rosettes across its body, and black spots on its face, lives in the mountains of Nepal, Tibet, Northern India, Southern Siberia, Pakistan, Bhutan and Mongolia. The animal's fur is extremely thick and well insulated, which helps it comfortably withstand sub-zero temperatures as low as -25°C. They mostly feed on mountain goats and sheep, but also hunt birds and rodents. The species is less sexually dimorphic than other big cats, but males are still slightly larger than females on average. Head-body length ranges from 0.75m to 1.5m, with 0.8m to 1.05m added by the long tail. Shoulder height is around 56cm tall. Males weigh an average of 45kg to 55kg, females are lighter at 35kg to 40kg.

As a Vulnerable species, snow leopards face many conservation challenges that threaten their survival across the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. Infrastructure, agricultural, and mining operations fragment their habitat, making it harder for them to find prey and access new mates and thereby maintain healthy genetic diversity. Poaching for body parts and retaliatory killings further adds pressure. Climate change compounds these challenges by shrinking suitable high-altitude terrain and altering prey distributions as well as increasing competition with other predators. International and local organisations collaborate with governments and mountain communities to reduce human-wildlife conflict, support anti-poaching patrols and improve habitat protection. Livestock insurance schemes, predator-proof fencing and other economic incentives reduce the causes for retaliatory killings and illegal trade. In some regions, populations surveys and local engagement have shown promising signs of stabilising population numbers. The snow leopard is listed under CITES I, restricting most trade, but illegal trade for cultural dress and traditional medicine remains a problem across many countries.