Article From SubmitYOURArticle.com: Snow Leopard Facts

Snow Leopard Introduction

The Snow Leopard is a medium sized feline, and
one that is absolutely gorgeous. It has a very
thick fur coat due to the regions where it lives.
The coat is a gray or tan color with dark spots
on it. They have white on the bottom of the face,
the neck, and the underside of the belly. They
feature very large eyes, a large head, and
rounded ears.

Description

The paws on the Snow Leopard are very large. This
allows them to have lots of power. This also
offers them the ability to walk effortlessly
across snow and ice. This design of their Anatomy
gives them a huge advantage over prey they are
chasing. They have large nasal passages which are
necessary since they are taking in such thin air
in those high mountain elevations.

Distribution

The snow Leopard can live up to 18,000 feet above
sea level. It can be extremely cold in such
areas. They live in South Asia in the Mountain
areas. They have a very wide distribution though.
There aren't very many of them remaining in China
or Russia. Most of them are in the area of Nepal.
However, their locations can shift depending on
food availability. They are very adaptable and
that is part of what makes them so interesting.

Behavior

For the Snow Leopard the majority of life will be
spent alone. They do pair up for mating and the
females with young seem to enjoy their role.
These animals can be very aggressive when they
feel their home range has been invaded by others.
Males have a range that is usually twice as large
as that of the females. It is common for the
females range to overlap in several locations.

Diet and Feeding

The remote living areas of the Snow Leopard
doesn't prevent it from finding plenty of food.
They do take every opportunity though to find it,
and they will kill again even if they don't need
to. Due to the cold region where they live they
can keep their food longer without it spoiling.

They often consume a variety of small creatures
such as rodents and hares. They also take down
very large prey such as deer. They have the
strength to do so due to their jaws so it doesn't
matter if those animals are several times larger
than they are.

Reproduction

Mating takes place at the end of winter but there
is only a very short opportunity here. A pair
will stay with each other for several days and
mate continually during that period of time. This
increases the chance of conception. It will be
the falling spring when these young are born. The
mother does what she can to prepare for them
including finding a den for them to be born in.

She will offer them her milk for a few months and
then introduce them to meat. They will be old
enough to help her hunt within six months. They
are able to take care of their own needs when
they are less than a year old. However, they may
stay with her and hunt in her area for the next
year or so.

Conservation

The fact that humans continue to move into the
area where the Snow Leopard once lived means it
is branching into new territory. They have been
known to kill domestic pets as well as livestock.
When that occurs they are often shot or poisoned.
Most conservation efforts revolve around trying
to protect their natural environment. The Snow
Leopard has never been documented as killing a
human so they are less of a threat than other
felines.

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For more Facts and Information about Felines and
the main feline species like Lion, Tiger, Cougar,
Jaguar, Cheetah, Leopard and many others as well
as Feline images and videos, visit
http://www.felineworlds.com

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