🐾 LandCare difficulty: AdvancedLegal complexity: High — restricted in many states
Snow leopard
Panthera uncia
The snow leopard is an elusive big cat of Central Asia's high mountains, beautifully adapted to cold, rugged terrain. Vulnerable to poaching, prey loss, and retaliatory killing, it is a flagship for high-altitude conservation across a dozen countries.
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Quick facts
| Size | Large cat ~1-1.3 m body plus very long tail, thick smoky-grey coat. |
| Lifespan | 10–18 years |
| Native region | High mountains of Central and South Asia |
| Climate | ⛰️ Montane |
| Genus | Panthera |
Habitat & enclosure
Inhabits steep, rocky alpine and subalpine zones above the tree line across the Himalayas, Tibetan Plateau, and Central Asian ranges. Poaching for fur and bones, declining wild prey, and conflict with herders threaten it. It is strictly protected and CITES Appendix I; this profile is conservation/education only and it is never a pet.
Diet
An apex predator hunting wild sheep and goats such as blue sheep and ibex, ranging over vast territories in harsh terrain. Maintaining wild prey and reducing livestock conflict are central to its conservation.
Behavior & temperament
Solitary and superbly camouflaged, it uses its long, thick tail for balance on cliffs and for warmth. Camera-trap surveys and community-based conservation across borders are key tools for protecting this wide-ranging mountain cat.
Reviewed and signed off by: KinStation Editorial — conservation profile (pending DVM/biologist review)