Snow leopards are large cats with white/grey fur and black spots all over their bodies.

Due to the cold conditions it lives in, the snow leopard has many adaptations to help them survive. Including a dense undercoat, large paws for walking in the snow, a long furry tail to keep them warm and help them balance, as well as small ears to minimize heat loss.

Snow leopards grow to be about 2 to 4 feet long from head to body, and about 2 feet tall from shoulder to paw. Their tail is quite long and can be as long as their bodies, usually about 3 feet long.

A fully grown snow leopard can weigh anywhere from 55 to 165 pounds.

Snow leopards live in mountainous areas in central and south Asia. Some countries they are found in include China, Russia, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Mongolia, and others.

The forests they inhabit consist of subalpine and alpine zones at elevations ranging from 9,800 to 15,000 feet. The Snow Leopard has evolved in very harsh environments, from freezing cold temperatures, to sharp, steep mountainous ranges.

As a carnivore, the Snow Leopards diet consists of goat, deer, and sheep species, as well as smaller mammals and rodents.

However, due to the hunting of many of their prey by humans, the Snow Leopard has difficulty finding food. This results in the Snow Leopard having to hunt livestock for its survival.

Snow Leopards can survive on 1 Himalayan blue sheep for about 2 weeks before having to hunt again.

Snow Leopards begin to reproduce at ages 2 or 3 years. Mating in late winter, cubs are usually born anywhere from April to June.

The female leopard’s gestation period is about 3 months and has about 2 to 3 cubs at a time. However, there have been cases of a female having up to 7!

When first born, the cubs are blind, but have a thick coat of fur and weigh 11 to 20 ounces. They gain eyesight at around 1 week old and can walk by 5 weeks.

The cubs are born in a den and stay there until they are 2 to 4 months old. After about 2 years, the cubs separate from their mother and move to a new area.

Snow leopards can leap up to 6 times their body length! Their long tail provides them with excellent balance to help them walk and navigate mountainous and rocky terrain.

Snow leopards have home ranges that measure anywhere from 30 to 105 square miles. Because of the large size, snow leopards’ ranges often overlap, however, when they encounter one another, they are very rarely hostile towards each other.