The Snow Leopard is perhaps one of the most beautiful of all the big cats. Found mainly in Afghanistan and Tibet, Snow Leopards inhabit high rocky mountainous elevations in the summer. A Snow Leopard's fur coat is typically creamy white to grey with scattered black leopard spots or Leopard Rosettes. These spots or rosettes are very similar to that of the African Leopard and that of the Asian Leopard, only they are primarily black over creamy grey instead of being over yellow, orange or even reddish fur.
Snow Leopards are an extremely rare species of leopard and are classified as an Endangered Species by the USDI and the Soviet Union, SPECIES by the USDI and the Soviet Union, and are listed on APPENDIX ONE with CITIES. They estimate that there is less than 11,000 individuals left in the wild with less than 400 captive leopards represented in zoological facilities.
Snow Leopards are classified as PANTHERA UNICA. Some scientists feel that the Snow Leopard should be reclassified as something other than “PANTHERA”. This is due to little know anatomical feature surrounding the cats HYOID APPARATUS. Other members of Panthera have an elastic cartilage band that covers a gap in the incompletely ossified HYIOD BONE. It is believed that this elastic apparatus (SMALL CATS do not possess) is what is makes roaring possible while limiting purring only to times of exhaling (small cats can purr while inhaling & exhaling). The mystery in the theory is that the Snow Leopard (Panthera unica) does not roar even though it does possess this elastic structure on its hyoid apparatus. This is not to say that the Snow Leopard does not communicate vocally, they certainly do. Snow Leopard vocalizations are varied. Even though they do not roar, they do produce many sounds including chirps and a characteristic “LOUD MOAN”.
Like the tiger, the snow leopard is primarily a solitary animal even though they are known to be very social at times with other members of their own kind. Like the Siberian Tiger, the Snow Leopard requires large home ranges of habitat. Baby Snow Leopard are usually born from April to Mid-June. A normal snow leopard gestation period averages about 101 days were 1 to 5 baby leopards are born in a rocky den. Assuming the babies survive, they will become sexually mature in 2 to 3 years.
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