A big cat of the high mountains of Central and South Asia, with thick whitish-grey fur and a long, bushy tail. It lives alone at 3,000–4,500 m, among cliffs and ridges.
Quick answers
What is it?Mammal
Carnivore?Yes
Dangerous?Can be
Only three attacks on people have ever been reported, and none was fatal.
Domesticated?No
Awake when?Day & night
Hibernates?No
Kept as a pet?No
Do people eat it?No
At a glance
Found inAsia
HabitatMountains
ColoursGrey, White, Black
SizeLarge
Legs4
Covered inFur
Lives alone
Lives for15–18 years
In the wild
- Where it lives
- Mountains of Asia, from the Hindu Kush, Himalayas and Tibetan Plateau to southern Siberia, Mongolia and western China.
- What it eats
- Wild hoofed animals, and domestic livestock.
- Conservation
- Vulnerable (IUCN Red List)
Did you know
Cannot roar, and wraps its metre-long tail around itself like a scarf.
Fewer than 10,000 mature snow leopards are thought to be left in the wild.
Often confused with
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