Do you want to learn snow leopard facts for children? The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) lives on the mountains of South and Central Asia. It makes habitat at high altitudes reaching 14,000 feet above the sea level. Johann Christian Daniel von Schreber, a German naturalist was probably the first person who described snow leopard back in 1977. It is also called ounce.
Snow Leopard Facts for Kids
Size and Weight: They are probably not as big as other cats such as tigers are, but they do survive in areas where no other big cat dares to live. Adult males weigh 60 – 121 pounds whereas females weigh up to 55 pounds only. Snow leopard grow 75 – 150 cm in total length. They stand 60 cm high at the shoulder.
Description: Snow leopards display dense smoky gray coat. There are black spots on the coat. They have pale green eyes.
Distribution: Snow 
leopards are found in the Altai Mountains, Hindu Kush, Kunlun Mountains, and Pamir Mountains. They live in northern Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Himalayas, Tajikistan, eastern Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Bhutan, Nepal, Mongolia, and India.
Habitat: They will make habitats on mountain meadows, broken terrain, and rocky regions at a height of 8,900 to 19,700 feet. During winter, they come down to lower altitudes.
Diet: Snow leopards mostly eat Himalayan tahr, camels, argali, markhor, horse, yak, bharal, langur monkeys, wild boars, marmots, rodents, woolly hares, chukers, red panda, pikas, and carrion.
Snow Leopard Tail: The snow leopard’s long tail serves to balance the cat while it travels in the steep mountains.
Vocalizations: They utter quite a few sounds some of which are growls, wailing, hisses, mews, and chuffing.
Reproduction: The female gives birth to 2 – 5 cubs after a gestation period of 90 – 100 days. Cubs usually weigh 11.3 to 20.0 oz at birth. Young leopards will reach maturity at 2 – 3 years age.
Lifespan: Snow leopards live as long as 15 – 18 years in the wild. In captive however they can live up to 25 years.
Population: The overall population of snow leopards is estimated at 4,080 to about 8,700 individuals.
