Some Information Regarding Snow Leopards

Here are some facts regarding the elusive Snow Leopards:

1. Wild cats, Snow Leopards live in mountains of South and Central Asia.

2. These felines are remarkable for their lifestyle and the fact that they are unable to roar - something that precludes their inclusion into great cats.

3. Living at heights over four to five thousand metres, in extreme weather conditions and over difficult terrains, Snow Leopards are amongst the most specialized of all wild cats.

4. To adapt to their environmental conditions, these leopards have evolved into having a thick coat, to shield them against cold, and large furry feet that allow them to walk with ease over snowy ground.

5. The cats also have a big thick tail that provides a balancing role in sharp movements over uncertain hilly ground, and may be curled up against the face in cold weather.

6. Like all leopards, the Snow Leopards are quite strong and athletic. They are able to prey upon animals three times their own size.

7. The prey species usually hunted by these leopards include wild goats and sheep.

8. Snow Leopards can jump for a greater horizontal distance than any other feline, reaching well over forty feet in a single leap.

9. The inaccessibility of their range in the wild means that limited research has been done over these reclusive and solitary felines in nature, and they have seldom been caught on film in the wild.

10. Fortunately their remote location has also allowed the Snow Leopards to return from near extinction in recent times and avoid poachers who treasure the leopards' beautiful fur coat.

11. Nevertheless the Snow Leopards are considered to be endangered at the moment and are protected today by law and various conservation organizations in many areas of their range.

12. The threats facing these beautiful felines today include poaching, conflicts with man and loss of habitat and prey.

13. Despite the many adversities, the majestic Snow Leopard is still managing to survive in the wild and is being monitored by conservationists and scientists in different territories.

The author is a blogger about cats and an expert on snow leopard facts.