BIOMES KEY

Animal List

Snow Leopard

Panthera uncia

General Information Distribution: The snow leopard is mainly distributed among Western Mongolia to NE Pakistan and Bhutan and Eastern Asia. Appearance: The snow leopard has a nice, thick coat to help it adapt to the grasslands, its surroundings. The surfaces of the snow leopard's paws are entirely covered by a cushion of hair. It has a long, swift tail that stretches around its whole body. The snow leopard contains a tint of white, unlike other leopards, and has many dark-colored spots which help it camouflage in its ecosystem. Noises: Although some may have a voice, or squeak, the snow leopard has a low growl which may scare prey and even some predators. Breeding: Males and females mate in the late winter, and after a certain period which consists of 93-103 days, one to four young are born. The young open their eyes when they are 7-9 days old, and remain with their mother for the remaining winter and spring. Habits: This secretive cat usually hunts alone except if a female is with her young. They usually search for prey along stream lines and then later ambush their prey. They commonly follow migrating prey and have annual migrating routes.

Zoo Observations After observing the snow leopard for five consecutive minutes, we realized that it can be a pretty ferocious animal. The whole time it gave us a hateful look. At other times, it would protect its ground by prancing around and performing other territorial movements. When it was playing around, it would often play in the snow and jump around on the logs and rocks.

Niche/Habitat Most snow leopards basically stay in the grassland biome where there is proper rainfall for itself (25-75 cm/year). Within this biome, the snow leopard survives near high mountain slopes, near the treelines. It also lives in dense thickets, crevices in rocks, or in caves. This carnivore does most of its chores during the daytime and in the nightime it will catch up on its rest.

Adaptations The snow leopard's coat varies in thickness from summer to winter. A thicker coat, called prime, develops to help insulate itself during the winter. The surfaces of its paws are covered by a cushion of hair for excellent traction in snow and ice. These animals usually stalk their prey and later spring upon it. The snow leopard has a long tail to enable it to maintain better balance and accomplish more accurate jumps. Also, its tint of white helps it blend in and camouflage with its snowy winter environment. Its large ears help adapt to life in the cold Himalayas. Always shy and wary, with keen senses, the leopard's ability to hide makes it harder to track down than a lion or tiger.

Video/Virtual Reality/Photograph

Food Web

Environmental Change Large areas of the world's grasslands have been destroyed for vegetation and also for agricultural uses. Much of the prairie land in the United States, Canada, Argentina, and India has been replaced by crops. Nomadic herding of sheep, cattle, and goats may also cause large destruction. This is an ever-increasing process in which the land is harmed. Eventuallly, the snow leopard is affected by this misfortune.

References "Snow Leopard. The World Book Encyclopedia. 1994.   Academic American Encyclopedia.