Snow Leopard

 Snow Leopard




Panthera Uncia

The Snow Leopard (Panthera Uncia) is a species of large cat in genus Panthera of the family Felidae. The population is estimated to be around 4,000-6,500. The species is native to the mountain ranges of central and south Asia. For Millenia, this amazing cat was the king of the mountains. Due to the rugged and severe conditions of where this cat lives, a surprising 70% of their habitat remains unexplored
 


Habitat and Role

In summer, the snow leopard typically resides above the tree line on alpine meadows and in rocky regions at elevations of 8,900 to 19,700 ft. In winter, they go back down to elevations of about 3,900 to 6,600 ft. They prefer rocky, broken terrain, and can move in 33 inches of snow. The commonly hunt sheep, goat, and even domestic livestock.

Snow Leopard Decline and Why We Should Care

The sole predator of the Snow Leopard is Humans. This is caused from poaching, habitat loss, decline in natural prey species, and retaliatory killings. If the snow leopard population were to go extinct, herbivore populations would increase resulting in large changes in vegetation and affecting all wildlife in the area.

Conservation Efforts

The World Wildlife Fund supports mobile anti poaching funds. They also work with the wildlife trade monitoring network to eliminate the illegal trade of snow leopard fur, bones, and other body parts.


Scientific Tools

Although the snow leopard is hard to see in the wild, and much of their habitat is unexplored, It is still important to learn the signs and indication of poaching. With awareness comes protection.

How to Help

There are many ways to help Snow Leopards, some of these examples are:
  • You can symbolically adopt a snow leopard on worldwildlife.org, all proceeds are donated towards snow leopard conservation and research
  • Become a part of an activist group and speak out to not only poaching of snow leopards, but poaching of all endangered animals.
  • Spread the word to others 
  • Install predator proof livestock pens in areas where snow leopard attacks are common, to decrease retaliatory killing.
  • Be a responsible tourist. Do not leave litter behind when visiting the Himalayas. 
Browse these links to see where I sourced Information for the blog and for more information on snow leopards:



https://www.wwf.org.uk/learn/fascinating-facts/snow-leopards

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/snow-leopard

https://bigcatrescue.org/save-snow-leopards/

https://wwf.panda.org/discover/knowledge_hub/endangered_species/snow_leopard/snow_leopard_sos/





















Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mississippi Gopher Frog

Image
  The  Mississippi gopher frog  or the  Lithobates sevosus , also known commonly as the  dark gopher frog  is a critically endangered species of frog  in the family  ranidae  . The species is endemic  to and  Its natural habitats  are temperate coastal forests  and intermittent freshwater marshes.  This secretive frog is on average 3 in long, and has a dark brown or black dorsal surface covered in warts. The diet of adult Mississippi gopher frogs includes other frogs, insects, spiders and earth worms. These frogs spend most of their time underground in burrows made by tortoises.  The cause of this frogs decline is due to    the  loss of open longleaf pine habitat needed for subsistence and the seasonal ponds needed for reproduction This species is already so rare that if they disappeared it wouldn't greatly affect the ecosystem where the reside. However, just because they don't have a large niche in their ecosystem does not mean that they are not important.  Fortunately, a cons
Read more

Ocelot

Image
       The ocelot is a medium sized spotted cat that reaches 15-19 inches. It is native to the southwestern states, Mexico, Central and South America, and some Caribbean Islands. The ocelot is efficient at swimming, running, leaping and climbing as it a very athletic animal. It is typically active at twilight and tends to be solitary and territorial.      This species niche in the ecosystem is that it eats small mammals such as rodents, armadillos, opossums, and fish. The ocelot primarily hunts and eats mammals that are under 3 pounds. The cause of the Ocelots decline is primarily habitat loss, poaching for the fur trade/ pet trade, and vehicles. They are important because they control the small mammal and bird populations.          Current conservation efforts  USFWS monitors the ocelot population and protects and restores thorn scrub habitat . They also work with the Texas Department of Transportation to install under-road wildlife crossings to help keep ocelots off the roads as vehi
Read more