Snow Leopards By Tara Phillips

Structural Adaptations One structural adaptation of the snow leopard is its wide feet. This is an important adaptation because their wide feet keep the snow leopard from sinking into the snow. Their feet’s padding protects them from sharp rocks. A second structural adaptation is their thick fur. This is an important adaptation because the long hair and thick undercoat of wooly fur keeps the snow leopard warm. A third structural adaptation is the snow leopards’ off-white fur. This is an important adaptation because their off-white fur helps them blend into the snowy surroundings and hide from hunters. It also helps them stalk prey unseen.

A fourth structural adaptation is the snow leopards’ long tails. This is an important adaptation because the snow leopards wrap their tail around their bodies to keep warm, and they also wrap their tails around their faces so their nose doesn’t get frostbite. Their tails are also used to help the snow leopards keep their balance. A fifth structural adaptation is their large chests and strong lungs. This is an important adaptation because it helps the snow leopard breathe in the thin mountain air. It lets them get the oxygen they need.

Behavioral Adaptations One behavioral adaptation of the snow leopard is that it can quietly sneak up on their prey without being heard. This is an important adaptation because they can catch prey more easily if it doesn’t expect them. A second behavioral adaptation is that the snow leopard lives alone. This is an important adaptation because it will make it harder for hunters to find and kill the snow leopards if they all live in different places.

A third behavioral adaptation is the snow leopard wrapping its tail around its face. This is an important adaptation because if a snow leopard wraps its tail around their face, their nose won’t get frostbite. A fourth adaptation is in winter, the snow leopards move down the mountain. This is an important adaptation because they have to follow the other animals down the mountain so they can hunt the animals down and eat them.

Habitat The snow leopard lives in the mountains of Central Asia. It lives in the countries of Central Asia including China. The snow leopards are at home in steep rocky places because it provides good cover and clear views to help them sneak up on their prey. As they move about their home ranges, the cats often travel along ridgelines and cliff bases, and choose bedding sites near cliffs or ridges with good views over the surrounding terrain.

Diet The snow leopard is a carnivore and typically eats wild sheep and goats. It also eats hares, game birds, and marmots. Snow leopards will occasionally eat animals three times their size. Snow leopards will sometimes eat grass and twigs if there aren’t a lot of other animals around.

A food chain that the snow leopard could be a member of is: sun to grass to grass wild sheep wild sheep to snow leopard

Resources Snow Leopards: Hunters of the Snow and Ice by Elaine Landau Snow Leopard Fact Sheet (on internet)

Fun Facts Unlike other big cats, snow leopards do not roar. Each leopard has its own pattern of spots. It is like a fingerprint. No two patterns are the same. Snow leopards are the least aggressive of all big cats. There are no known attacks by sow leopards on humans. A snow leopard often wraps its tail around its face. This protects its nose from frostbite. These cats can live for about twenty-one years in zoos. No one is sure how long they can live in the wild. There are about six hundred of these cats in zoos today.

Thank You I hope you learned a lot about snow leopards from my report!