The ghost of the mountains
It is so well hidden and so rarely seen that local people call it the mountain ghost.
Asian mountains
Snow leopard
Panthera uncia
A pale, smoky-grey cat with dark rosettes, thick fur and a very long, thick tail.
- Size
- Body about 1.1m, plus a tail nearly as long
- Look for it
- All year round
- Where
- High mountains of central Asia, from the Himalaya to Mongolia
Pads after you on big, quiet paws. Move your pointer and see.
When to look
Snow leopard
Good to know
Six things about the snow leopard
A tail for balance and warmth
Its tail is almost as long as its body. It helps with balance on cliffs and wraps round its face like a scarf.
Built-in snowshoes
Wide, furry paws spread its weight on snow.
A mighty leap
It can jump about nine metres, across a gap or down onto its prey.
It cannot roar
Unlike other big cats, the snow leopard cannot roar. It mews, growls and makes a puffing sound called a chuff.
A nose that warms the air
Its wide nose warms the freezing air before it reaches the lungs.
The real thing
Photos of the snow leopard
Photos are from Wikimedia Commons, used under the free licences shown. They have been resized, and cropped where they appear in link previews.
How to spot one
Winter in Ladakh, in northern India, is the best chance: the cats follow their prey down to lower slopes. Even then, most visitors see only tracks.
How to help
There may be only a few thousand left. Charities such as the Snow Leopard Trust help herders protect their animals, so they have no reason to kill the cats.
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