Binghamton Zoo Animals

Snow Leopard

(Panthera uncia)
Order: Carnivora
Family: Felidae
Genus: Panthera
Species: Panthera uncia

HABITAT AND RANGE: Snow leopards live in the Himalayan mountains of Tibet, Nepal, Northern Pakistan, Afghanistan, Southern China, and along Russia’s border with China and Mongolia. In the summer, they live at the snow line, which is around 11,000-13,000 feet (3,660-3,965 meters) and in the winter they descend to about 6,000 feet (1,830 meters). They live around crags and rocky mountain sides above the tree line.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Snow leopards are one of the smaller 'Big cats', being only 3 to 5 feet in body length and approximately 70-150 pounds. They stand around 2 feet tall at the shoulder. Their tail is ¾ of the head and body length. The fur is very thick and long, with dense, wooly underfur. It is whitish or grayish (sometimes creamy or with a yellowish cast) and white underneath. The rosettes and rings are dark or indistinct, and cover most of the body, including the tail.

ADAPTATIONS: Adaptations for high-altitude life include long hair with dense, woolly underfur, an enlarged nasal cavity, shortened limbs (snow leopards stand only two feet tall at the shoulder) and well-developed chest muscles for climbing. The long tail is thought to aid in balance and additionally, they often wrap their tails around themselves when resting for added warmth.

DIET: They feed mostly on wild sheep, such as bharal and tahr, and also feed on musk deer, hares, rodents, birds such as the monal pheasant, and domestic stock.

REPRODUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT: The mating season is from January to March, and the gestation period is from 90-100 days. The cubs are born blind and are helpless for the first six weeks of life. They are weaned at 3 months and can climb quickly after, to follow the mother on hunting expeditions. At 9 months, they begin to exhibit marking behavior. They are mature at 2-3 years of age, and can live up to 22 years in captivity, but considerably less in the wild (around 6).

STATUS IN WILD: Snow leopards are listed as Endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Animals Estimates of the wild population are difficult to compile because of the remoteness of the snow leopard’s range but most scientists agree that 5,000 to 7,000 animals remain in the wild. The largest populations are in China, which compromises about 60 percent of the potential range, followed by Kyrgyzstan and Mongolia. There are over 600 snow leopards in zoos worldwide. Although protected in most countries within its range, snow leopards are still killed opportunistically in many areas, often out of retribution by livestock herds who are increasingly losing their stock – presumably because of a declining natural prey base.