Snow leopard (Panthera uncia)

What’s the World’s Favourite Species?

Snow leopard fact file

• Description
• Biology
• Range
• Habitat
• Status
• Threats
• Conservation
• Find out more
• Glossary
• References
• Print factsheet

Snow leopard description

The beautiful snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is a white to smokey-grey colour, with yellow tinged fur and patterned dark-grey to black rosettes and spots ⁽⁶⁾. The snow leopard has many adaptations for its cold habitat; long body hair and thick, woolly belly fur, large paws and a well-developed chest and enlarged nasal cavity that warms the cold air as it is breathed in ⁽⁶⁾. The long, thick tail is almost a metre in length and is used for balance and as added insulation when wrapped around the body and face at rest ⁽⁶⁾. The short forelimbs and long hind limbs enable this leopard to be particularly agile in its steep and rugged habitat ⁽⁶⁾.

Also known as

Ounce.

Synonyms

Uncia uncia.

French

Irbis, Léopard Des Neiges, Once, Panthère Des Neiges.

Spanish

Leopardo Nival, Pantera De La Nieves.

Size

Head-body length: 100 - 130 cm ⁽²⁾

Tail length: 80 - 100 cm ⁽²⁾

Male weight: 45 - 55 kg ⁽³⁾

Female weight: 35 - 40 kg ⁽³⁾

Snow leopard biology

Adults are solitary, although the home ranges of males and females overlap extensively ⁽⁷⁾. Females reach sexual maturity at two to three years and the mating season runs from early January to mid-March, when long-drawn-out wailing calls can be heard echoing amongst the cliffs ⁽⁷⁾. Litter size is usually two to three cubs, which are born with black spots ⁽⁷⁾, and become independent from their mother at over two years old ⁽³⁾.

Most active at dawn and dusk, snow leopards are opportunistic predators capable of killing prey up to three times their own weight ⁽³⁾. Their prey consists mainly of wild sheep and goats, although livestock will also be taken, especially if wild prey has been depleted ⁽³⁾. These cats will kill an average of one large animal twice a month ⁽⁶⁾.

Snow leopard range

Extremely fragmented populations are found in the harsh, remote, mountainous areas of central Asia, with the majority of snow leopards located in the Tibetan region of China ⁽³⁾.

Snow leopard habitat

Snow leopards are generally found at elevations between 3,000 to 4,500 metres in steep terrain broken by cliffs, ridges, gullies and rocky outcrops ⁽³⁾.

Snow leopard status

The snow leopard is classified as Endangered (EN) on the IUCN Red List ⁽¹⁾. Listed on Appendix I of CITES ⁽⁴⁾ and Appendix II on the Convention on Migratory Species (the CMS or Bonn Convention) ⁽⁵⁾.

Snow leopard threats

The natural prey of the snow leopard have been systematically hunted out of many areas of the high central Asian mountains and leopard numbers have declined as a result ⁽³⁾. Big cats often turn to domestic stock as an alternative source of food and this can incite retaliation from local farmers ⁽³⁾. Snow leopard fur was once highly prized in the international fashion world and around 1,000 pelts were traded a year in the 1920’s ⁽³⁾. A further threat to this species comes from the increasing demand for bones for traditional Oriental medicine ⁽³⁾.

Snow leopard conservation

Snow leopards are protected throughout most of their range and international trade is banned by their listing on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) ⁽⁵⁾. The International Snow Leopard Trust and the Snow Leopard Conservancy are the world's two leading organizations dedicated specifically to conserving this endangered cat ^{(6) (8)}. Both organisations have developed a multifaceted approach to the conservation of this species; involving research and data storage, educational initiatives, community-based conservation, and the protection of livestock to prevent retributive killing of snow leopards ^{(6) (8)}. Local people are involved in various initiatives and there are plans to link fragmented populations by habitat corridors ⁽³⁾, which may improve the chances of the long-term survival of this secretive and critically endangered cat.

To learn more about a Whitley Award-winning conservation project for this species, click here.

View information on this species at the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre.

Find out more

For more information on the snow leopard:

• IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group:
  http://www.catsg.org/
• The International Snow Leopard Trust:
  http://www.snowleopard.org/islt/index2.html
• The Snow Leopard Conservancy:
  http://www.snowleopardconservancy.org
• BBC Wildlife Finder:
  http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/species/Snow_Leopard
• WWF – UK:
  http://www.wwf.org.uk/what_we_do/safeguarding_the_natural_world/wildlife/snow_leopard/

Authentication

Authenticated (20/07/2005) by Dr. Rodney Jackson, Director of the Snow Leopard Conservancy.
http://www.snowleopardconservancy.org

Glossary

Home range

The area occupied by an animal during routine activities, which is not actively defended.

References

1. IUCN Red List (May, 2009)
   http://www.iucnredlist.org
2. WCMC Species Sheets (June, 2002)
   http://www.unep-wcmc.org/species/data/species_sheets/snow.htm
3. IUCN Cat Specialist Group (June, 2002)
   http://www.catsg.org/
4. CITES (May, 2009)
   http://www.cites.org/
5. UNEP-WCMC database (June, 2002)
   http://quin.unep-wcmc.org
6. International Snow Leopard Trust (June, 2002)
   http://www.snowleopard.org/
7. Macdonald, D. (2001) The New Encyclopedia of Mammals. Oxford University Press, Oxford.
8. Snow Leopard Conservancy (October, 2005)
   http://www.snowleopardconservancy.org/