Snow Leopard
Uncia uncia (Panthera u.)
Weight: Females
35-40kg; males 45-55kg.
Habitat: It
is associated with steep terrain broken by cliffs, ridges, gullies, and
rocky outcrops with arid and semi-arid shrubland,
grassland, or steppe vegetation.
Age to Maturity: 2-3 years (captivity).
Gestation Period: 90-105 days (captivity).
Birth Season: Mating occurs between early January and mid-March. Most
births occur in May - June.
Birth Rate: Litter size is 1-5, usually 2-3.
Maximum Age: Up to 21 years (captivity).
Diet: It
is an opportunistic predator capable of killing prey up to 3 times its own
weight. In general, its most common prey consists of wild sheep and goats.
Threats: Hunting
for fur and as trophy, persecution as a livestock predator, and loss of prey
due to man's hunting of its prey and competition with domestic livestock.
