Snow Leopard Fact Sheet
2008
Name and Populations
Common name: Snow Leopard
Scientific name: Panthera uncia
Population: Between 4,080-6,590. There is no exact figure because snow leopards are so elusive
and inhabit such harsh and remote habitat that they are rarely seen. (IUCN Red List)
Range: Snow leopards live in fragmented populations throughout the mountains of Central Asia
in Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia,
Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The total area is approximately 2 million sq km.
Age - Height - Weight
It is thought that the average life span of a wild snow leopard is about 10-20 years.
the year that
the first DSWF funded long-term
study of snow leopards began.
18-22
months - the amount of
time snow leopard cubs stay with their mother
until they become fully independant.
2
million sq km - the approximate size of the
snow leopard range in the wild.
Average weight: Up to 50kg
Average length: 0.9 to 1.2m from their head to rump, with a tail up to 1m in length.
Characteristics
Beautiful and elusive, the snow leopard is perfectly adapted to the cold, barren landscape of
its high-altitude home which ranges from 1,000 to 4,500m above sea level.
Round, short ears reduce heat loss; wide, short nasal cavities heat the chilled air before it
reaches their lungs; extra-large paws stop them sinking into the snow and their bushy tail
acts as a scarf to keep them warm.
Their spotted coat makes them perfectly camouflaged and difficult to spot.
Their short strong legs and their long, thick tail, which helps with balance, means that they
can climb vertically and leap across crevices and chasms in the rough mountain landscape.
Diet
Predators and Threats
Snow leopards are predators. Their diet varies
across the snow leopard range.
Threats:
In the Himalayas they eat mostly blue sheep.
While the snow leopard is a top predator in its mountain ecosystem human threats including
poaching, habitat degradation and retaliation killings have created an uncertain future for these
beautiful cats. Despite national and international laws to protect them, snow leopards are still
being killed for their pelts, skin and bones which are traded illegally. Unsustainable development
and a boom in mining also threatens their habitat and some are killed by herders in retaliation
following snow leopard attacks on their livestock.
There is also less prey for them due to humans hunting for meat and competition with livestock
for prey animals.
In the Karakorum (Pakistan), Tian Shan (China,
Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan) and Altai (Russia
and Mongolia) Mountains, their main prey is ibex,
wild goat and wild argali sheep.
Across their range snow leopards also take small
prey including marmots and hares, and they hunt
larger birds like snow cock and chukor.
Family Life & Facts
Due to their elusive nature, very little is known about the life of the snow leopard in the
wild. However, new technology, including GPS collars, is starting to give researchers a
better understanding of the life of the snow leopard.
Snow leopards are usually solitary, except when females are raising cubs. Mating occurs
in late winter and 1 to 5 (usually 2 or 3) cubs are born 98-104 days later. The cubs remain
with their mother until they become independent - normally after about 18-22 months.
These cats are most active at dawn and dusk. They may stay in an area for several days and
then abruptly move many miles.
January 2016
Photos courtesy of SLT
Compensation for herders who lose their livestock to snow leopard attacks
encourages tolerance for the predator.
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For more information see www.davidshepherd.org
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About the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
The David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation (DSWF) supports a range of innovative and far-reaching
conservation projects throughout Africa and Asia that have anti-poaching, education and undercover
investigation at their heart, all working to save endangered wildlife and their habitat.
Our work with snow leopards
Mongolia: Protecting the world’s last snow leopards
In order to protect wild snow leopards, we first need to understand
where they live. DSWF supports a unique, long-term ecological study
of the critically endangered snow leopard and its habitat. The 15 year
study using GPS tracking collars is designed to gather comprehensive
information about these highly endangered cats and enable scientists
to truly understand and protect them.
DSWF also provides funding for research cameras which provide 2,500
photos and a wealth of knowledge about the location and behaviour of
snow leopards throughout Mongolia. Identifying specific cats and the
places they travel through, this information pinpoints potential focus
areas for conservation.
Employing this comprehensive monitoring of the snow leopard range in
Mongolia, which extends to an amazing 101,000 km2, the team focuses
on identifying areas where snow leopards are likely to come into
contact with humans. Researchers can then devise improved conflict
mitigation and more effective conservation programmes to protect the
endangered cats.
Mongolia: Sustainable livelihoods scheme
Many families who live in the remote regions where snow leopards are
found live on less than $2 per day and are dependent on their herds
of livestock for food and livelihood. Therefore, the loss of even a single
animal from their herd to a snow leopard can create great financial
hardship and retaliation.
Working with local communities, DSWF supports the provision of
incentives - herders agree to stop poaching and illegally killing snow
leopards and prey species within their community and at the end of
the year participants receive a 30 per cent cash bonus if no one in their
region has violated this contract.
To complement this, a handicraft programme provides training, microcredit loans and logistical support to help herders create and sell fine
handmade wool crafts. This flagship programme has been supported
by DSWF since the late 1990s and is one of the largest grassroots snow
leopard conservation projects in Mongolia.
January 2016
Photos courtesy of SLT
Donate to DSWF and you will help:
Monitor snow leopard populations.
Use new technologies to help protect snow leopards.
Provide sustainable livelihoods for the women in local communities.
Educate local children about the value of their native wildlife.
Work with local communities to ensure they do not need to rely
on illegal wildlife trade.
Protect wild spaces for the long term survival of snow leopards.
David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation
Saba House, 7 Kings Road, Shalford, Guildford, Surrey GU4 8JU
Tel: 01483 272323 Website: www.davidshepherd.org
Registered Charity No: 1106893