Ecology

Their niche in the environment is to consume herbivores in their habitat. This limits the size of herbivores that would overgraze the area and eat everything. If everything was eaten by the herbivores, then local communities can't get important resources such as food, wood, and water. Snow Leopards are heterotrophs (carnivores) because they consume other organisms for energy. Their diet consists of the blue sheep of Tibet, the mountain ibex, marmots, hares, and game birds.

Snow leopards are solitary animals that have a huge range of territory which can exceed 36 square miles.Their prey being terrestrial vertebrates are typically their only daily interactions; other then their prey and certain exceptions snow leopards lead a totally solitary lifestyle. However, if it is mating season a male and a female may spend time together hunting; or if it is spring or summer a mother will be seen raising her cubs. Since the snow leopard's territory is limited and they need a ton of space, different individuals may have overlapping territory. To avoid interactions they leave scent or scratch marks on their favorite paths to warn the other snow leopard of their presence that way they avoid contact.

Food Chain

Food Web

In this food web the water, soil, sun, grass, trees, and flowers are producers, the main source of energy for the whole energy pyramid. On the second level of the pyramid are the spiders, lizards, butterflies, bees, and fish. These are the primary consumers, who get their energy from the producers. The next layer consists of birds, frogs, snakes, and mice. These are the secondary consumers who eat the primary consumers. On top of the secondary consumers, we have the third level consumers, the blue sheep, marmot, and fox. The third level consumers get their energy from the secondary consumers. On top of the pyramid are the tertiary consumers, who consume the third level consumers and have no predators.