One of my very favorite big cats is the snow leopard. Unfortunately, they are both rare and endangered. They are found in Siberia, Mongolia, India, Pakistan , and Tibet; in the higher altitudes of the Himalayas. In the summer they retreat to the higher mountain areas, 9000 feet and up to 19,000 feet in altitude. But in the winter they come down to the forests at 4000 to 7000 feet. They like rocky broken terrain, and are at home in deep snow.
Another problem they currently face is global warming; which is causing the tree line to increase in altitude, thus decrease in plants and wild creatures they depend on for food. Most often they eat a diet of wild sheep and goats, deer, wild boars, monkeys, rabbits and even birds. They prefer wild prey, but when not available, will attack domestic livestock. The chief reasons for the declining populations of snow leopards are loss of their prey due to overgrazing by livestock, poaching, and farmers defending livestock. The snow leopard is the least aggressive of all the big cats; attacks on humans are extremely rare. They easily leave their kills when threatened.
Snow Leopards like to ambush their prey from above, and will chase animals for as far as 1000 feet down the mountains. Killing is usually by a bite to the neck, and they usually eat all that is edible. It is estimated that they each consume from 20 to 30 sheep per year.
They usually mate in late winter, and have a gestation of about 3 months; which allows the cubs to be born between April and June. They are fertile for only 5 to eight days, but will mate 12 to 36 times daily. Mother seeks out a rocky den and lines it with fur from her underbelly. The cubs are blind at birth , but are covered with thick fur. Their eyes open at one week, but don’t start walking for 5 weeks. They suckle for about 10 weeks, and leave the den in 2 to 4 months. They stay with their mom for up to 2 years, then become independent, leave and find their own territory. They become sexually mature in 2 or 3 years, and usually live 15 to 18 years in the wild, but up to 25 years in captivity.
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