by Lauren Kunce

Snow leopards are the smallest of the nine “big cats”, which includes lions, tigers, leopards, snow leopards, jaguars (yes, the last three are all different species), cougars, cheetahs, and lynx.

Snow leopards live in the cold northern reaches of Asia. They stay warm there with their large paws and fluffy tails.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Carnivora

Family: Felidae

Genus: Panthera

Species Panthera Uncia

Environment

Snow leopards are solitary animals that live in dens in the rock landscape they inhabit. Since they can’t exactly dig into their rocky environment, wild snow leopards have to find existing caves to live in and raise their cubs.

Camouflage

Contrary to popular opinion, leopards don’t actually have spots, mostly. Instead, their coats are marked with what are called rosettes, which are like spots but with thick black outlines. While leopard cubs—snow leopards or not—are covered with spots, they eventually turn into rosettes, and even adult snow leopards still have patterns of spots on their faces.

Snow leopards’ spots and rosettes, respectively, help them camouflage in their rocky environment.(above)

Communication

The snow leopard is the only species in the Panthera genus that doesn’t have the ability to roar. They make plenty of other noises, though, such as growling, hissing, meowing and chuffing.

References:

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica (2024, March 29). snow leopard. Britannica. britannica.com/animal/snow-leopard

Gaeng, Jennifer (2023, October 6). 10 Incredible Snow Leopard Facts. A-Z Animals. a-z-animals.com/blog/incredible-snow-leopard-facts