The Snow Leopard is known as the ‘mountain ghost’ because they are so elusive and mysterious (Panthera Snow Leopard, 2020). Their scientific name is Panthera uncia (Panthera Snow Leopard Panthera Uncia, 2020). The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List lists the snow leopard as vulnerable with a decreasing population (IUCN Snow Leopard, 2020). During their last study, in 2016, it was believed that there are between 2,710 and 3,386 snow leopards left in the wild (IUCN Snow Leopard, 2020). Panthera is a little more hopeful and estimates there are between 4,500 and 10,000 snow leopards in the wild (Panthera Snow Leopard Panthera Uncia, 2020).
They are found in twelve countries across 2 million kilometers squared, or 772,204 miles (Panthera Snow Leopard Panthera Uncia, 2020). Their terrority in China takes up 60% of their total range (Panthera Snow Leopard Panthera Uncia, 2020). Snow Leopards can be found 2,500 to 5,500 meters, or 8,202 to 18,044 feet, above sea level (Panthera Snow Leopard Panthera Uncia, 2020).
Snow Leopards can leap six times their body length (WWF Snow Leopard, 2020). Their long bushy tails helps keep them balanced and acts like a blanket and provides warmth in their cold harsh climate (WWF Snow Leopard, 2020).
Snow leopards are being negatively impacted by humans in a variety of ways. They are being poached and entering the illegal wildlife trade and being involved in retaliatory killings (Panthera Snow Leopard, 2020; WWF Snow Leopard, 2020). They also suffer from prey loss, habitat loss and climate change (Panthera Snow Leopard, 2020; WWF Snow Leopard, 2020).
Literature Cited
International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List (2020). Snow leopard: Panthera uncia. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/22732/50664030
Panthera. (2020). Snow Leopard. https://www.panthera.org/cat/snow-leopard
Panthera. (2020). Snow leopard: Panthera uncia.
World Wildlife Fund. (2020). Species: Snow leopard.
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