The Rainbow Trout

The rainbow trout is part of the salmon family and valued as a hard fighting game fish.  They average 20-30 inches long and average 8 pounds in weight.  The rainbow trout generally lives to be between 4 and 6 years old.  The largest rainbow trout recorded was 57 pounds and around 11 years old.

Rainbow trout are native to North America in Alaska, California, Oregon, Alberta, and British Columbia.  Rainbow trout have been introduced all around the world and in many states including
http://nas.er.usgs.gov/queries/FactSheet.aspx?speciesID=910

Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia.  Rainbow trout were introduced into springs and streams for people to sport fish.  Because it's such a popular species to sport fish, many places frequently stock rainbow trout in order to replenish populations.

Rainbow trout have had some impact on the habitats they are released into.  Rainbow trout will hybridize with other trout species affecting their genetic integrity.  Also rainbow trout will consume native fish and compete with other native fish for food.  Rainbow trout have also been known to drive out non-game fish out of their respective areas and into open water which makes them vulnerable to predation.  To help this problem plans have been put into place to restore and sustain the native fish to the areas where rainbow trout were introduced.

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Snow Leopards Threatened by Global Warming

Snow leopards, known for their beautiful and thick fur coat which serves as camouflage from their prey.  The snow leopard has wide paws which act as snowshoes and the tail helps the leopard balance.  Snow leopards are well adapted to cold weather and dry habitats, which they live in.  Snow leopards are found at altitudes of 9800 - 17,000 feet in the mountains of central Asia.

Due to the snow leopards reclusive nature it is hard to determine the exact number in population.  There's an estimated 3500-7000 snow leopards in the wild, with 600-700 in zoos around the world.  60% of the population is in China with the rest ranging from Afghanistan to Kazakstan, Russia to the North and India to the east.

Snow leopards are facing a very distinct threat from global warming.  Generally the snow leopards habitat ranges from where the tree line stops to where the snow line begins on the mountain.  Due to global warming the snow line is receding making the snow leopard have to move to higher elevations.  The higher they go, the less vegetation there is, which means there's less herbivores for the leopard to prey on.  Snow leopards are also illegally hunted for their fur coats and pelts, which are a commodity in Russia, Central Asia, and Eastern Europe.  Their bones and body parts are also used for traditional Asian medicine.  The snow leopard was placed on the endangered species list in 1972.

http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/snow_leopard.php