Snow Leapord
Michael Drake
Maris Cooke
Essay 2
11-11-2012
The Snow Leopard
The snow leopard is a moderately large cat native to the mountain ranges of Central Asia, in the Animalia kingdom. The Snow Leopard is of the Chordata phylum and the Mammalia class. The Snow leopard is also a carnivore and belongs to the Felidae family (Tonhouse, 2011). It is part of the Uncia Family and is considered to be part of the Panthera Uncia species (Panthera uncia, 2012). The species is disputed between Panthera uncia and Uncia uncia, but the International Union Conservation of Nature (IUCN) puts the snow leopard in the Panthera uncia according to their genetic analysis (Panthera uncia, 2012). The habitat of the snow leopard is mountainous region of Central Asia. The long harsh winters combined with the rigorous mountains show how well the snow leopard has adapted to its habitat. Snow leopards natural habitat is in Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan (Snow Leopard, 2012). The range of the snow leopard is about 1.3 million square miles (Snow Leopard, 2012). China holds 60 percent of the snow leopard habitat (Snow Leopard, 2012).
Snow Leopards are medium in size in relation to a tiger and can grow to be between 60 to 120 pounds in weight (Leopard, 2012). The male snow leopard is generally bigger than most females (Snow Leopard, 2012). The snow leopard body ranges from 39 inches to 51 inches, with their tales approximately the same length as their body (Leopard, 2012). The snow leopard has smoky grey fur with a wooly undercoat. The snow leopard has spotted coat in combination with the smoky grey coat that makes the cat very camouflaged in the high altitudes that it lives (Leopard, 2012). The snow leopard has adapted to the mountain life by its strong developed chest, short forelimbs, longer hind limbs, long tail, enlarged nasal cavity, large paws, and its fur with its undercoat (Leopard,
Maris Cooke
Essay 2
11-11-2012
The Snow Leopard
The snow leopard is a moderately large cat native to the mountain ranges of Central Asia, in the Animalia kingdom. The Snow Leopard is of the Chordata phylum and the Mammalia class. The Snow leopard is also a carnivore and belongs to the Felidae family (Tonhouse, 2011). It is part of the Uncia Family and is considered to be part of the Panthera Uncia species (Panthera uncia, 2012). The species is disputed between Panthera uncia and Uncia uncia, but the International Union Conservation of Nature (IUCN) puts the snow leopard in the Panthera uncia according to their genetic analysis (Panthera uncia, 2012). The habitat of the snow leopard is mountainous region of Central Asia. The long harsh winters combined with the rigorous mountains show how well the snow leopard has adapted to its habitat. Snow leopards natural habitat is in Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan (Snow Leopard, 2012). The range of the snow leopard is about 1.3 million square miles (Snow Leopard, 2012). China holds 60 percent of the snow leopard habitat (Snow Leopard, 2012).
Snow Leopards are medium in size in relation to a tiger and can grow to be between 60 to 120 pounds in weight (Leopard, 2012). The male snow leopard is generally bigger than most females (Snow Leopard, 2012). The snow leopard body ranges from 39 inches to 51 inches, with their tales approximately the same length as their body (Leopard, 2012). The snow leopard has smoky grey fur with a wooly undercoat. The snow leopard has spotted coat in combination with the smoky grey coat that makes the cat very camouflaged in the high altitudes that it lives (Leopard, 2012). The snow leopard has adapted to the mountain life by its strong developed chest, short forelimbs, longer hind limbs, long tail, enlarged nasal cavity, large paws, and its fur with its undercoat (Leopard,
Cited: Panthera uncia. (2012, November 9). Retrieved November 9, 2012, from IUCNredlist.org: http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/summary/22732/0 Snow Leopard. (2012, November 9). Retrieved November 9, 2012, from National Geographic: http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/snow-leopard/ Leopard, S. (2012, November 9). Snow Leopard Fact Sheet. Retrieved November 9, 2012, from Snow Leopard Organization: http://www.snowleopard.org/downloads/snow_leopard_fact_sheet_english.pdf Tonhouse, G. D. (2011, November 10). The eye of the cat. Retrieved November 9, 2012, from Reflective images: http://www.reflectiveimages.com/theeyeofthecat.htm Zoo, B. (2011, October 1). Young Snow Leopards Arrive at Brookfield Zoo. Retrieved November 9, 2012, from Chicago Zoological Society Website: http://www.czs.org/CZS/snowleopards2011