The Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia), also known as an ounce, is a large cat inhabiting the mountains of Central and South Asia. This stocky, short-legged cat is pale grey in color with dark spots and rosettes. Due to living in alpine environments, the Snow Leopard has many features or adaptations to provide warmth and stability.
It has broad paws for walking on snow, a dense undercoat for insulation, a long, bushy tail to cover its face when asleep and to maintain balance, and small ears to lessen heat loss. The Snow Leopard typically rest and reside by ridges in the mountains to ensure a vantage point as it prefers to ambush prey from up above.
Snow Leopards have a shoulder height between 22”-26” (56-66 cm), body length of 36”-51” (91-130 cm), and weight in the range of 75-120 lb (34-54 kg). The tail of a Snow Leopard is 31”-39” (79-99 cm) in length. Snow Leopards have a typical lifespan of 8-15 years in the wild and up to 18-22 years in captivity.
The Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia), also known as an ounce, is a large cat inhabiting the mountains of Central and South Asia. This stocky, short-legged cat is pale grey in color with dark spots and rosettes. Due to living in alpine environments, the Snow Leopard has many features or adaptations to provide warmth and stability.
It has broad paws for walking on snow, a dense undercoat for insulation, a long, bushy tail to cover its face when asleep and to maintain balance, and small ears to lessen heat loss. The Snow Leopard typically rest and reside by ridges in the mountains to ensure a vantage point as it prefers to ambush prey from up above.
Snow Leopards have a shoulder height between 22”-26” (56-66 cm), body length of 36”-51” (91-130 cm), and weight in the range of 75-120 lb (34-54 kg). The tail of a Snow Leopard is 31”-39” (79-99 cm) in length. Snow Leopards have a typical lifespan of 8-15 years in the wild and up to 18-22 years in captivity.