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Meet the Snow Leopard
Characteristics of the Snow Leopard:
- Snow leopards are elusive and solitary animals.
- Although sharing its name with the common leopard, the snow leopard is
not believed to be closely related to the Leopard or the other members of
the Pantherine group and is classified as the sole member of the genus
Uncia uncia.
- Due to the under-development of the fibro-elastic tissue that forms part
of the vocal apparatus, the snow leopard cannot give a full, deep
roar. This fact, along with differences in skull characteristics, help to
separate it from its fellow 'big cats'.
- The fur is long and woolly and helps protect the cat from the extreme
cold of its generally mountainous habitat.
- To some scientists, the snow leopard is known as an indicator species:
an animal that indicates the general health of a particular
environment. Since the snow leopard lives at the top of the food chain, if
there are abundant and healthy snow leopards in an area, there is likely
also a healthy local ecosystem. Conservation of the snow leopard therefore
contributes to conserving the entire chain of life that must survive to
support the snow leopard.
- The snow leopard's main prey is wild sheep such as Bharal (Blue Sheep)
and Argali, goats, including Markhor and Ibex. Other prey taken includes
Musk Deer, marmots, various species of hare and birds.
- The snow leopard generally is not aggressive toward humans.
Distribution:
- There are an estimated 6,000 snow leopards left in the wild.
- The snow leopard is to be found in the mountainous regions of central
Asia, ranging in the north from Russia and Mongolia down through China and
Tibet into the Himalayan regions of Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.
- Although the total area of its range is extremely large, the actual areas
in which the cat is found are relatively small and notably fragmented.
- The snow leopard generally inhabits elevations between 2,000-4,000 meters
although it can occasionally be found at lower altitudes to the north of
its range and as high as 5,500 meters in Himalayan regions.
Threats:
- Poaching and the perception of snow leopards as threats to livestock have
increased partly as a result of increased human mobility within formerly
isolated snow leopard habitat.
- The fur trade has been reduced by legal action but the exotic beauty of
the snow leopard's coat remains a factor in its potential demise.
- The overgrazing of domestic livestock in areas has been detrimental to
the snow leopard's natural prey.
Protection Efforts:
- To protect Snow Leopards from poachers who pursue them for their lustrous coats, Wildlife Conservation Society's George Schaller helped establish the Chang Tang Reserve, a massive, 118,000 square mile reserve in Tibet to protect Snow Leopards and a wealth of other high altitude species.
- The Tibetan Plateau Project (www.earthisland.org/tpp/tppframes.htm)
promotes the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable development
of local communities in the Tibetan Plateau region, which includes the snow
leopard and its habitat.
- International Snow Leopard Trust (www.snowleopard.org) (ISLT) is
dedicated to the conservation of the endangered snow leopard and its
mountain ecosystem through a balanced approach that considers the needs of
the people and the environment.
- Zoos worldwide welcome over 100 million visitors annually and strive to
increase awareness of conservation projects such as the snow leopard
species survival plan (SSP). Many of the institutions that exhibit snow
leopards, including the Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo,
participate in SSPs and fund additional research to benefit conservation
efforts.
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