top of page
Find us also on :
Our Partnerships :
Common name : Snow leopard, once.
Scientific name : Panthera Uncia
Snow leopard is a feline that belongs to the panthera genus. Even though it looks strongly like a puma or a classic African leopard, its closest ‘parent’ species is the tiger.
The snow leopard population is distributes through 12 central Asia countries (Russia, Mongolia, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, China, Nepal). It lives in mountains between 3000 and 5500 meters high (between 10000 and 18000 feet high) where the weather is both cold and dry.
It is a lone, fierce animal whose territory is from tens to hundreds kilometers square. It is 60 to 70 centimeters high (23 to 27 inches high) and weights between 35 and 55 kilograms (77 to 121 pounds). Its tail size is between 80 centimeters to 1 meter long (31 to 39 inches) and has a critical role for the snow leopard to keep their balance when they are moving on a steep descent. They feed essentially on ibex, groundhog, bighorn sheep and hare.
Its breeding season is from January to March, its gestation period lasts a 100 days and it will litter about 3 cubs. Wild snow leopard has a 10 to 15 years long lifetime whereas a captive animal lives up to 21 years.
The exact number of panther individuals is not known but it was estimated that between 4000 and 6500 animals still live in the wild. This number is really approximate for the snow leopard is a very discreet animal that lives in inaccessible areas. Yet its survival is now questioned because of the human activity.
Since 1975, the trade of any parts of the snow leopard is forbidden, yet illegal hunting is still happening and threatens its survival. There is also a competition with humans because snow leopards can feed on cattle which lead to retaliation. Moreover their habitat gets fragmented which make it difficult for them to find a suitable partner to reproduce. They are considered as an endangered species since 1972.
bottom of page