Species profile
Panthera uncia
Snow leopard
This is a curated published estimate, not a live census. Estimates may refer to mature individuals, wild individuals or a documented range and are not directly comparable between species.
VU · Vulnerable — Vulnerable — high risk of extinction in the wild
About this species
The snow leopard is a mountain cat of Central and South Asia, adapted to cold, dry terrain above and around the tree line. Its wide range is deceptive: suitable habitat occurs in separated ridges and valleys, and individuals live at naturally low densities. Elusive behaviour and difficult terrain make the species both challenging to study and easy to overlook.
Habitat, behaviour and ecological role
A dense coat, broad paws, short forelimbs and a long balancing tail suit movement across snow and broken rock. Snow leopards hunt mountain ungulates as well as smaller mammals and livestock. Their territories can be very large, so conserving one breeding population may require cooperation across multiple communities, protected areas and national borders.
Why this species is at risk
Retaliatory killing follows livestock losses, especially where wild prey has declined. Poaching, illegal trade, mining, roads and expanding infrastructure also fragment habitat. Climate change may shift vegetation and human land use upward, increasing pressure in high valleys. Because numbers are low, the loss of a few breeding adults can matter at a local scale.
Conservation outlook
Predator-proof corrals, improved herding, insurance schemes and community conservation reduce the cost of coexistence. Restoring wild prey and controlling illegal trade address underlying pressures. Camera traps and genetic sampling are improving knowledge, while transboundary programmes help protect movement routes that do not follow political borders.
Editorial review: 2026-08-21
Threat factors
Known occurrences
Dots are georeferenced occurrence records from OBIS (marine) and GBIF (global), not individual animals and not a complete range map. Up to 500 recent API results are cached; the profile renders at most 500 points.
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Listen to this species
青海玉树杂多县 · 0:13 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/