Snow Leopard

Status: Endangered
Scientific Name: Panthera uncia
Number Left: Estimated 4,080-6,590

Snow Leopards inhabit cold, rocky, mountaintops across the high elevations of Central Asia. They span from Afghanistan to Kazakstan and Russia in the north to India and China in the east. Although they once populated Mongolia, they have disappeared from certain parts of that area.

Humans are the leading cause in the disappearance of this shy creature, thanks to hunting, habitat loss and retaliatory killings. Climate change also poses the greatest long-term threat to the animal because it could reduce up to 30 percent of the snow leopard's habitat in the Himalayas alone.

In an effort to conserve the snow leopards, many organizations, such as the World Wildlife Fund and the Snow Leopard Trust work with local communities to reduce the number of retaliatory killings.

Snow Leopards in the News

• Rare Cat Appears Where No One's Ever Seen Him Before
• Snow Leopard Facts

How You Can Help:

• World Wildlife Fund: Learn more about the Snow Leopard, conservation efforts, and what you can do to help ensure the species' survival.
• Snow Leopard Trust: Discover how you can contribute directly to the conservation of Snow Leopards.
• Defenders of Wildlife: Get fast facts about this species and conservation efforts currently underway.