These cats appear to be in dramatic decline-they've lost at least 20 percent of their population in two decades as a result. Their lives are also threatened by poaching, driven by illegal trades in pelts and in body parts used for traditional Chinese medicine. Herders sometimes kill snow leopards to prevent or retaliate against predation of their domestic animals. The expansion of human settlement, especially livestock grazing, has led to increased conflict. One Indian snow leopard, protected and observed in a national park, is reported to have consumed five blue sheep, nine Tibetan woolly hares, 25 marmots, five domestic goats, one domestic sheep, and 15 birds in a single year. Though these powerful predators can kill animals three times their weight, they also eat smaller fare, such as marmots, hares, and game birds. Snow leopards prey upon the blue sheep (bharal) of Tibet and the Himalayas, as well as the mountain ibex found over most of the rest of their range. ThatвЂ™s why these carnivores require an enormous amount of space to roam: Male leopards require up to 80 square miles-an area bigger than three Manhattans-while females have ranges of up to 48 square miles. They prefer steep, rugged terrain with rocky outcrops where prey can be hard to come by. They can also be found in the Tibetan Plateau and across a range that stretches from China to the mountains of Central Asia. Snow leopards can be found throughout high mountain ranges, including the Himalayas and the southern Siberian mountains in Russia. They are shy and reclusive, and rarely seen in the wild. These big cats use their long tails for balance and as blankets to cover sensitive body parts against the severe mountain chill. Snow leopards have powerful legs and are tremendous jumpers, able to leap as far as 50 feet. They are insulated by thick hair-in shades of gray or creamy yellow and covered with grayish black spots-and their wide, fur-covered feet act as natural snowshoes. These spotted leopards live in the mountains across a vast range of Asia.

Current Population Trend: Decreasing What is the snow leopard?

Onedrive snow leopard