Snow Leopard is the State Animal of Himachal Pradesh.
The snow leopard inhabits Alpine and Subalpine zones at elevations from 3,000 to 4,500 m (9,800 to 14,800 ft), ranging from western Afghanistan to Mongolia and western China. In the northern range countries, it also occurs at lower elevations.
Snow Leopard population in India is between 200-600 .
So it is an Endangered species.
In Himachal these are conserved in some wildlife sanctuaries and national parks , these are:
Kibber Wildlife Sanctuary (Lahul Spiti) , Pin Valley National Park , Great Himalayan National Park (Kullu). etc.
Snow Leopard can kill animals of two to four times of it's weight.
The snow leopard's fur is whitish to gray with black spots on head and neck, but larger rosettes on the back, flanks and bushy tail. The belly is whitish. The fur is thick with hairs between 5 and 12 cm (2.0 and 4.7 in) long. Its body is stocky, short-legged and slightly smaller than the other cats of the genus Panthera, reaching a shoulder height of 56 cm (22 in), and ranging in head to body size from 75 to 150 cm (30 to 59 in). Its tail is 80 to 105 cm (31 to 41 in) long. Its eyes are pale green or grey in color. Its muzzzle is short and its forehead domed. Its nasal cavaties are large. It weighs between 22 and 55 kg (49 and 121 lb), with an occasional large male reaching 75 kg (165 lb) and small female of under 25 kg (55 lb).
The snow leopard shows several adaptations for living in a cold, mountainous environment. Its body is stocky, its fur is thick, and its ears are small and rounded, features that help to minimize heat loss. Its broad paws well distribute the body weight for walking on snow, and have fur on their undersides to increase their grip on steep and unstable surfaces; it also helps to minimize heat loss. Its long and flexible tail helps to maintain balance in the rocky terrain. The tail is also very thick due to fat storage, and is very thickly covered with fur, which allows the cat to use it like a blanket to protect its face when asleep.
The snow leopard cannot roar like tigers and Lions despite possessing partial ossification of the hyiod bone. This partial ossification was previously thought to be essential for allowing the big catsto roar, but new studies show that the ability to roar is due to other morphological features, especially of the larynx which are absent in the snow leopard. Snow leopard vocalizations include hisses, chuffing, mews, growls, and wailing.
Reproduction and Life Cycle :
Snow leopards are unusual among large cats in that they have a well-defined birth peak. They usually matein late winter, marked by a noticeable increase in marking and calling. Snow leopards have a gestation periodof 90–100 days, so the cubs are born between April and June. Oestrus typically lasts from five to eight days, and males tend not to seek out another partner after mating, probably because the short mating season does not allow sufficient time. Paired snow leopards mate in the unusual field posture from 12 to 36 times a day.
The mother gives birth in a rocky den or crevice lined with fur shed from her underside.Litter sizes vary from one to five cubs, but the average is 2.2. The cubs are blind and helpless at birth, although already with a thick coat of fur, and weigh from 320 to 567 g (11.3 to 20.0 oz). Their eyes open at around seven days, and the cubs can walk at five weeks and are fully weaned by 10 weeks. so when they are born, they have full black spots which turn into rosettes as they grow to adolescence.
The cubs leave the den when they are around two to four months of age, but remain with their mother until they become independent after around 18–22 months. Once independent, they may disperse over considerable distances, even crossing wide expanses of flat terrain to seek out new hunting grounds. This likely helps reduce the inbreeding that would otherwise be common in their relatively isolated environments. Snow leopards become sexually mature at two to three years, and normally live for 15–18 years, although in captivity they can live for up to 25 years
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