Native to the Central Asian mountains, the snow
leopard is a rare sight, with only about 6,000 left in the wild. They
are hunted for their beautiful, warm fur and for their organs, which are
used in traditional Chinese medicine.
Photograph by Michael Nichols, National Geographic
National Geographic - These rare, beautiful gray leopards live in the mountains of Central
Asia. They are insulated by thick hair, and their wide, fur-covered feet
act as natural snowshoes. Snow leopards have powerful legs and are
tremendous leapers, able to jump as far as 50 feet (15 meters). They use
their long tails for balance and as blankets to cover sensitive body
parts against the severe mountain chill.
Snow leopards prey upon the blue sheep (bharal) of Tibet and the Himalaya, as well as the mountain ibex found over most of the rest of their range. Though these powerful predators can kill animals three times their weight, they also eat smaller fare, such as marmots, hares, and game birds. Read More
Putin gets close with snow leopard
