Snow Leopard

Snow Leopard Latest News

India’s first high-altitude snow leopard wildlife safari was launched in the cold desert of Ladakh recently.

About Snow Leopard

• It is a large wild cat native to the high-altitude mountain ranges of Central and South Asia.
• It is popularly known as the “Ghost of the Mountains” because of its elusive nature and excellent camouflage. 
• Scientific Name: Panthera uncia 
• Formerly classified as Leo uncia, the snow leopard has been placed—with the lion, tiger, and other big cats—in the genus Panthera. 

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Snow Leopard Habitat and Distribution

• They inhabit the highlands of central Asia and the Indian subcontinent, ranging from the Himalayas, Hindu Kush, and Plateau of Tibet in the south to the Altai Mountains and highlands west of Lake Baikal in Russia. 
• They are found in rocky, shrub-dominated, and grassy habitats occurring between 500 and 5,800 meters.
• India is home to an estimated 500–700 snow leopards spread across the Himalayas and Trans-Himalayan region.
• It is the state animal of Himachal Pradesh. 

Snow Leopard Features

• Adult snow leopards grow to a length of about 2.1 meters, including the 0.9-meter-long tail. 
• They stand about 0.6 meter high at the shoulder and weigh 23–41 kg , with males slightly heavier and larger than females. 
• Their soft coat, consisting of a dense insulating undercoat and a thick outercoat of hairs about 5 cm long, is pale grayish with dark rosettes and a dark streak along the spine. 
• The underparts, on which the fur may be 10 cm long, are uniformly whitish. 
• They have several other physical adaptations to conserve heat in cold mountain environments, including broad front paws, small rounded ears, and a wide head containing large nasal cavities, which can warm the cold air it takes in. 

Snow Leopard Conservation Status

It is classified as ‘Vulnerable‘ under the IUCN Red List.

News: NIE