Snow leopards are considered medium-sized cats, standing about 24 inches at the shoulder and weighing 60-120 lbs. Snow leopards have an exquisite smoky-gray pelage tinged with yellow and patterned with dark gray, open rosettes and black spots. Superbly adapted for life in steep, high and rocky terrain, they have a well-developed chest, short forelimbs with sizeable paws, long hind limbs, and a thick tail nearly a meter long for balancing. Adaptations for cold include an enlarged nasal cavity, long body hair with a dense, woolly underfur, and a thick tail that can be wrapped around the body. Endangered – Total numbers crudely estimated at 4,500-7,500. Sparsely distributed across 12 countries in Central Asia: China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Mongolia. Preferred habitat: steep, broken mountains in the alpine and subalpine zone where vegetation is sparse. Home range varies from about 10 square miles in prey-rich habitat to over 800 square miles in parts of Mongolia where prey densities are much lower. The total potential range covers some 1.5 million square miles, but it is unknown how much of that is actually occupied by snow leopards. The snow leopard’s geographical range is most closely related to two of its large prey species – the blue sheep (bharal) of the Himalaya and Tibet, and the ibex of the Karakorum, Tien Shan, Mongolian and Russian mountain ranges. Opportunistic predator capable of killing prey three times its weight. Small prey such as marmots, pika, hares and game birds probably reduce dependency upon livestock as a source of food. The annual prey consumption of a snow leopard in India’s Hemis National Park is reported to be 5 blue sheep, 9 Tibetan woolly hares, 25 marmots, 5 domestic goats, 1 domestic sheep and 15 birds. http://www.snowleopardconservancy.org/aboutone.htm Habitat Snow leopards live in mountain steppes and coniferous forest scrub at altitudes ranging from 2000 to 6000 meters. In the summer they frequent alpine meadows and rocky areas, and in the winter they may follow prey into forests below 1800 meters. There are approximately 500 leopards in 150 zoos world-wide. Many zoos are involved in a snow leopard species survival project, a coordinated breeding program among zoos. The goal of this project is to maintain a genetically sound population in hope that these animals may someday be released into the wild. Other methods of conservation include habitat protection, captive breeding, stiff penalties for those harming them, and public education. http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Uncia_uncia.html In summer, the snow leopard usually lives above the tree line on mountainous meadows and in rocky regions at an altitude of 2,700 m (8,858 ft) to 6,000 m (19,685 ft). In winter, it comes down into the forests at an altitude of about 2,000 m (6,562 ft). It leads largely a solitary life, although mothers can rear cubs for extended periods of time in cave dens in the mountains. It is an opportunistic feeder, eating whatever meat it can find and kills animals three times its size, including domestic livestock. Its diet consists mainly of ibexes, the Bharal, the Markhor, the Urial, deer, boars, as well as pikas, marmots and other small rodents. It ambushes prey from above when possible, as it can jump as far as 14 meters (46 ft).[6] Its agility often proves helpful when ambushing prey and traversing through mountains. An individual snow leopard lives within a well defined home range. However, it does not defend its range aggressively when encroached upon by other individuals. Home ranges can vary greatly in size. In Nepal, where prey is abundant, a home range can be as small as 12 km² (5 sq mi) to 39 km² (15 sq mi) and up to 5 to 10 animals are found here per 100 km² (39 sq mi); whereas, in habitats with sparse prey, an area of 1,000 km² (386 sq mi) supports only 5 of these cats.[4] The snow leopard's range in central and south Asia is rugged mountainous regions of approximately 1,230,000 square kilometers, which extends through 12 countries: Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The geographic distribution streches from the Hindukush in eastern Afghanistan and the Syr Darya through the mountains of Pamir Tien Shan, Karakorum, Kashmir, Kunlun, and the Himalaya to southern Siberia, where the range covers the russian Altai, Sajan, Tannu-Ola Mountains and the mountains to the west of Lake Baikal. In Mongolia it is found in the Mongolian and Gobi Altai and the Khangai Mountains. In Tibet it is found up to the Altyn-Tagh in the North.[7] The total wild population of the snow leopard is estimated at between 4,000 and 7,500 individuals (see table below). In 1972 the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, (IUCN) placed the snow leopard on its Red List of Threatened Species as "Endangered," the same classification given the panda and the tiger. There are also 600-700 snow leopards in zoos around the world.[8] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Leopard