1) Why do people rarely see snow leopards? 2) How big are snow leopards?
3) Why don't snow leopards freeze in cold climat
4) How can they walk in very deep snow?
5) How do snow leopards use their tails?
6) How high can snow leopards jump?​

PEOPLEDROPDOWN LINKS

TOGGLEPLACESDROPDOWN LINKS

TOGGLEWILDLIFEDROPDOWN LINKS

ToggleAboutDropdown Links

ToggleHow to helpDropdown Links

STORIES

WHERE DO SNOW LEOPARDS LIVE? AND NINE OTHER SNOW LEOPARD FACTS

snow leopard on a rock

© naturepl.com / Francois Savigny / WWF

Tell a Friend

Snow leopards have evolved to live in some of the harshest conditions on Earth. They scale the great, steep slopes of mountains in Central Asia with ease, blending into the landscape. But these majestic and elusive cats face many threats including habitat loss and degradation from climate change and human encroachment, retaliatory killings resulting from human-wildlife conflict, reduced prey, and poaching.

WWF works to reduce human-wildlife conflict, increase anti-poaching efforts, and protect the fragile snow leopard habitat.

Here’s a look at what you should know about the species:

1. Where do snow leopards live?

Snow leopards live across a vast area in northern and central Asia's high mountains, including the Himalayan region. In the Himalayas, snow leopards live in high alpine areas, mostly above the tree line and up to 18,000 feet in elevation. They are found in 12 countries—including China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Russia, and Mongolia.

2. What do snow leopards look like?

Snow leopards 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. Rosettes are large rings enclosing smaller spots. WWF relies on spot patterns to identify individual snow leopards when conducting camera trap research. Snow leopards also have very long, thick tails that they use for balancing on rocks and wrapping around their bodies for protection from the cold. Their short forelimbs and long hind limbs make them very agile, and they can jump as much as 50 feet in length. They also have large, furry paws that act as both snowshoes and padding on sharp rocks.