 | Mammals at the Potawatomi Zoo | SNOW LEOPARD
Uncia uncia
Length: Body 3 ft. & Tail 3 ft.
Weight: 75-115 lbs. (Males average 20 lbs. heavier)
Life Span: Wild = 15 yrs. Captive = 20 yrs.
Also Known As: Irbis
Description: Snow Leopards have a thick coat of smoky-gray colored fur with dark-gray shading and dark-brown circular spots. The fur has two layers for extra insulation and the color pattern provides camouflage for its snowy mountainous habitat. Snow leopards are skillful hunters that use their incredible leaping ability to catch their prey. They use their long tail for balance when jumping from rock to rock. The snow leopard is a solitary creature, only pairing during the breeding season or when females are accompanied by their young.
Snow leopards are well adapted to living in cold mountain temperatures. They have a very long outer fur coat, a shorter fur undercoat and a long, thick tail that may be curled around the face and body acting as a scarf in cold weather. Thick fur pads on the back legs above the ankle protects against cold and ice. Large, broad paws act like snowshoes enabling snow leopards to walk on the snow without sinking.
Range/Habitat: Snow leopards live primarily in forested areas at high elevations (9,800-14,800 ft.) in the mountain ranges of Asia, from Myanmar moving west through China, Nepal, India, Pakistan and back east through Kazakhstan, Mongolia and the Gobi Desert.
Diet: Wild: wild sheep (blue sheep or bharal), ibex, wild boar, gazelles, hares, pikas, markhor, bobak, tahr, marmots, mice, deer and ground-dwelling birds (pheasants, partridges and snowcocks).
SNOW LEOPARD at the Potawatomi Zoo
Male: 1 tankh
On Exhibit
|
|
|
|
 | | 4/24/2010 - Party for the Planet! |
|
| 5/21/2010 - Endangered Species Day |
|
| 7/17/2010 - Members Picnic |
|
| 10/24/2010 - Little Zoo Boo |
|
| 11/28/2010 - Zoo Closes For Winter Season |
|
| | View All Events |
|
|
