25 Interesting Facts About Snow Leopards

The snow leopard is one of the five species of big cats . The other name of this mammal is ounce. The snow leopard remained on the IUCN “endangered” list from 1986 to 2017. However, the organization changed its status to “vulnerable” in 2017 after finding errors in the 2008 Population assessment. The current estimated population of snow leopards is up to 10,000 adults in the wild. China , with an estimated population of over 2,000 individuals, has the largest population of snow leopards. Several factors have declined the population of snow leopards. The biggest threats are hunting for illegal animal trade of their hides and bones, killing by herders to protect their livestock, and habitat destruction due to the expansion of herding and ranching. Snow leopards are present in the mountains of Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent. They inhabit an elevation of around 18,000 feet in the summer and 6,000 feet in the winter. The name suggests snow leopards are closely related to leo...