Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Class: Mammalia

Family: Felidae

Order: Carnivora

Genus: Panthera

Species: P. unica

Subspecies: Delacouri, Fusca, Japonensis, Kotiya, Melas, Nimr, Orientalis, Pardus, Saxicolor

Existence: Snow leopards evolved 62-63 million years ago from an animal called the Miacids.

Closest living relative: A tiger is the closest living relative to a snow leopard.

Ancestors of this species: The Miacids, The Proailurus

Physical Description: They have thick grey and yellow-tinged fur, with solid spots on their head, neck, and lower limbs and rosettes over the rest of the body. Round short ears. 

Key Characteristics: Patterned fur

Size: About 7 feet long including the length of the about 3 feet long tail and about 2 feet tall.

Weight: About 50-90 pounds

Life Span: About 10-12 years

Differences between males and females: The female snow leopard is slightly smaller than the male.

Habitat Description: Snow leopards live across a vast area in northern and central Asia's high mountains, including the Himalayan region.

How much rainfall: Most snow leopards basically stay in the grassland biome where there is proper rainfall for itself (25-75 cm/year).

Plants: At the snow leopard's typical elevation, the climate is cold and dry, and only grasses and small shrubs can grow on the steep mountain slopes. 

Temperature: Living at elevations as high as 5500 m (18,000 ft.), the snow leopard is specially adapted to frigid, high-altitude conditions. Long thick fur allows them to withstand temperatures as low as -40°C (-40°F).

Terrain: Snow leopards prefer steep, rugged terrain with cliffs, ridges, gullies, and slopes interspersed with rocky outcrops.

Continents found: Central and South Asia

Invasive: No, they are keystone species

What does it eat: Snow leopards are capable of killing prey up to three times their own weight. They eat blue sheep, Argali wild sheep, ibex, marmots, pikas, deer and other small mammals.

How often does it eat: They hunt a large animal every 8-10 days and it usually takes them 3-4 days to consume a prey animal.

How does it get its food: It catches food by hunting. The snow leopard's broad paws act as snowshoes and give them traction as they chase their prey across the stone, snow, and icy surfaces.

Live in packs or solo: They are very solitary animals. They are only found in pairs or groups during the mating season or when the cubs accompany their mothers. 

Roles within the community: Play a key role as a top predator.

Male or Female led groups: Solitary animals otherwise cubs follow their mothers (female led). 

Individuals that make up the group: Mother & Cubs, otherwise solitary. 

How do they interact with each other: Snow leopards communicate with one another through territorial marking methods, such as leaving scrape marks, scat, spraying rocks with urine, scratching on trees, and rubbing their face on rock surfaces.

How often do they mate: Only every other year

Time of year for mating: Mating season is between January and Mid-March.

Mating rituals: When trying to attract a mate during the late winter months the female snow leopards will spray rocks or protruding objects with urine which informs the nearby males that it is mating season.

Number of offspring produced at a time: Between 1 and 5 cubs usually born in each liter but most commonly 2-3. 

Any unique characteristics of their mating: Paired snow leopards mate in the usual field posture, from 12 to 36 times a day. They are unusual among large cats in that they have a well-defined birth peak.

Stages of development: At 2 months old, cubs are ready to eat solid food. At 3 months old, they begin following their mother and start to learn important behavior like hunting. At 18-22 months old, cubs become independent of their mothers.

How old before sexual maturity: Male snow leopards become sexually mature by the age of 4. Females become sexually mature around 2 1/2 to 3 years old. 

Activities and environment of stages: 2 months- can eat solid food. 3 months- follow their mothers around and learn important behavior. 18-22 months- become independent. 3 years- females are sexually mature. 4 years- males are sexually mature. 

Difference between males and females: At 2 to 3 years of age a female snow leopard will have its first cubs. Males develop slightly later having their first cubs when they are 4.

Predation: Snow leopards are apex predators. 

Sexual Competition: Other leopards living in the mountains.

Disease: Tuberculosis, parvovirus and canine distemper have been identified as the culprit in several deaths of captive snow leopards. 

Other causes: Warmer temperatures are threatening to shrink the habitat of the snow leopard and weaken their struggle against extinction (climate change). Hunting and poaching are also other causes of death.

Inter-species: the main competition for snow leopards are other leopards living in the mountains of Central Asia as their elusive and shy nature results in limited interaction with other species other then predator-prey relations. They mainly compete over food and mates.

Intra-species: Snow leopards are the top predators in their ecosystem, but they do sometimes compete over food with other species. 

What do they compete over: Food

Effect of invasive species: No invasive species killing snow leopards. 

Rating: They are vulnerable.

Population: Estimated 4,080- 6,590

Population Trend: Steadily decreasing since the year 2000.

Rating: They are vulnerable.

Population: Estimated 4,080- 6,590

Population Trend: Steadily decreasing since the year 2000.

What impacts have occurred: Retaliatory killings from farmers over livestock predation and habitat fragmentation through land use change are pushing snow leopard populations closer and closer towards extinction.

Potential Future Impacts: If snow leopards continue to be killed by humans the population could drastically decrease. Without the snow leopard, the ecological balance would be disrupted.

How long have humans been interacting with species: Around 150 years.

Efforts being made to minimize impacts: The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) is an organization that works in the field of wilderness preservation and the reduction of human impact on the environment. They are working on managing human-leopard conflict and rural development, education for sustainable development, stopping mining, and reducing impacts of linear infrastructure development in fragile snow leopard habitat, and the control of the illegal wildlife trade.