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
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
I did the same topic as you and I think what is happening is a horrible thing. Can they survive in non-snow areas?
ReplyDeleteIf they could survive non snow areas how would we get them there and how could we help them adapt to the area
ReplyDeleteWhat is being done to help these animals?
ReplyDelete