The Snow Leopard is my favorite of the Big Cats it is my "Spirit Animal".

Snow Leopard
by
Ged Casserley

Yet the snow leopard's talent for invisibility has not kept it safely out of the sights of hunters, who continue to kill the cat for its "coat of pale misty gray, with black rosettes that are clouded by the depth of the rich fur.

Elusiveness also has done little to help the snow leopard cope successfully with an ever increasing influx of tourists, sheep herders, dam builders, and other humans eager to make use of the spectacular landscape.

The result is that the snow leopard, despite its remote home high in the Himalayas, has become one of the most endangered of the large cats.

As long as I can remember I have loved the "Cat" it does not matter what size shape or color.

Wherever I go ... if there are cats to see I will find them ...
when we visit Las Vegas we stay at the "Mirage" ... the home of the Sigfried and Roy "White Tigers" ... I can and will spend my time just watching them many times for hours.

On one such trip we decided to get tickets for the Sigfried and Roy Show, our seats were front row stage ... during the show Roy walked by with a "Snow Leopard" on a leash ... this cat was close enough that I could reach out and touch it and was inclined to do so ... the only thing that stopped me was the fear that I might startle it and cause it to bolt into the audience ... it had a long beautiful tail that was spotted ... much like the cat in my background ... It was breath takingly beautiful and I could see why the fur of this beautiful animal is so coveted by poachers and their illegal buyers.

Young Snow Leopard
by
Mathew Hillar

Is an endangered Mountain Predator

Habitat:
Mountain ranges and high plateaus ranging from twenty five hundred feet to eighteen thousand feet.

Diet:
Small to medium mammals including Asiatic ibex, Temminck's tragopan, Himalayan marmot, blue sheep, goats, hares, and birds

Range:
Mountain regions of Central Asia.

Snow leopards call home some of the highest regions on earth. These agile predators are able to leap among rocky outcrops, keeping balance with their muscular tail. They follow herds of wild goats and sheep as they trek across the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayas.

To preserve the fragile, high altitude habitat of the endangered Snow Leopard, twelve different countries are now working together in an international conservation effort. Hopefully it will be successful.

Distribution:
Western Mongolia to northeastern Pakistan and Bhutan

Habits:
This secretive cat is a solitary hunter except when a female has young with her. They search for prey along stream valleys, using ridges and cliffs as a vantage point from which to spot and ambush prey or to escape from potential danger. They follow migrating prey along their annual migration routes.

Unlike other cats, the snow leopard does not roar and it eats in a crouching position.

Breeding:
Males and females mate in late winter, and after a gestation period of between ninety three and one hundred and three days, one to four young are born. The young open their eyes when they are seven to nine days old, are quite active by two months of age, and remain with their mother through their first winter.

Adaptations:
The snow leopard's coat varies in thickness from summer to winter. A thicker coat in the winter helps to insulate the snow leopard against the cold.

The surfaces of the snow leopard's paws are covered by a cushion of hair which increased the surface area of the paws to allow for better traction in soft snow or on ice. This added insulation also protects the leopard's paws from the cold.

Snow leopards usually stalk their prey and then spring upon them. Often they jump at their prey from a distance of twenty to fifty feet. The snow leopard has a long tail that helps to maintain balance and accuracy for these long jumps.

The tail is thickly furred. When it is very cold, the snow leopard curls the tail around the body, using the end of the tail to keep the nose warm.

Illegal fur trade is still very active. Combined with human encroachment on their habitat, the snow leopard is disappearing from its wilderness at an alarming rate.

Unfortunately, due to the remote habitat of the snow leopard, populations and life history of this secretive illusive creature are not well understood.

The snow leopard is an opportunistic predator capable of killing prey up o three times its own weight ... it can prey upon most mountain species except for fully grown yak or wild ass.

However, blue sheep and ibex are he main prey, along with marmots, livestocks, and the occasional game bird or small rodent.

Snow leopards are also known to feed upon argali, Himalayan tahr, markhor and other wild goats or sheep, as well as some deer, wild boar and domestic livestock.