Snow Leoaprd description: This shot was taken 1 week ago in korkeasaari zoo in Helsinki finland. It?s a pissed of Snow leopard cubb. I cropped it a bit to look moore like a movie poster. Hope you like it.
Range and Habitat
Snow leopards inhabit the mountainous regions and alpine meadows of China, Nepal, Pakistan, India, Russia, and Afghanistan.
Physical Appearance
The snow leopard is a pantherine cat, but is not considered one of the great cats because it cannot roar. Males are significantly larger then the females. They have thick long fur that is between 1-2 inches long all over, shorter on the back, and longer on the belly. Dark black rosettes and spots flank its light grey to light cream-colored fur. Their fur color becomes lighter in the winter. Snow leopards have a stocky body set on very short legs, which is odd for a non-arboreal cat because these are the physical characteristics of an arboreal cat. It has a very long, heavily furred tail, and large paws. Their hind legs are longer than their front legs, similar to the lynx, which is an adaptation to living in areas of thick snow. Their head is more rounded, and they are smaller than true leopards (Panthera pardus).
Diet
Snow leopards stalk their prey like other leopards, and strangle them like cheetahs. They eat the Marco Polo sheep, wild goats, ibex, Siberian tahr, blue sheep, marmots, and picas.
Threats
The snow leopard has most likely never been very common throughout its range, due to the harsh enviromnent in which it lives. They are endangered, with an estimated 4000-7000 left in the wild. It is speculated that it is more towards the lower end. They are endangered due to hunting for their fur and body parts, and eating poisoned marmots and pikas. Livestock owners kill them as they see them as a threat. They are protected in India and Russia.
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