Snow Leopards
The Beasts Of Prey
Fast Facts
Protection Status - Endangered
Height - 0.6 metres (adult Snow Leopard)
Length - 1.8 to 2.3 metres (adult Snow Leopard)
Weight of a Female Snow Leopard - 35 kilograms
Weight of a Male Snow Leopard - 55 kilograms
Habitat - Central Asia
Population in the wild - 6,000
Population in zoos - 700
Photo of a Snow Leopard's Key Physical Features.
Food is an important part of a Leopard's survival, which is why Snow Leopards eat prey animals, vegetation and hunt a large creature every eight or so days. Snow Leopards are known to eat wild animals such as blue sheep and wild goat(Asiatic Ibex). However, in the harsh Himalayan winters, Snow Leopards are known to hunt domestic livestock,due to the lack of wild animals, such as sheep, goats, horses or young yaks. It also eats vegetation, which is common for felines, but, it's found that Snow Leopards eat more plant material than the other cats, whether big or small. Snow Leopards eat vegetation such as grass and twigs, possibly as an extra source of vitamins, an aid in digestion,or to eliminate parasites. Snow leopards hunt for a large animal every eight to ten days. It is known that a Snow Leopard can attack an animal that is three or four times as big as itself, this means the meat will last for at least a week. Food has brought the most fame to Snow Leopards, after all they are nicknamed the 'Beast of Prey' because they can hunt other animals, eat plant materials and hunt a large animal on the average of eight to ten days.
Photo of Blue Sheep, part of a Snow Leopard's diet.
Photo of the life cycle of a Snow Leopard.