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| {{about|the cat|other uses|Snow Leopard (disambiguation)}} | |||
| {{Taxobox | |||
| | name = Snow leopard | |||
| | status = EN | |||
| | status_system = iucn3.1 | |||
| | status_ref =<ref name="iucn" /> | |||
| | trend = left | |||
| | image = Uncia uncia.jpg | |||
| | regnum = ]ia | |||
| | phylum = ] | |||
| | classis = ]ia | |||
| | ordo = ] | |||
| | familia = ] | |||
| | subfamilia = ] | |||
| | genus = '']'' | |||
| | species = '''''P. uncia''''' | |||
| | binomial = ''Panthera uncia'' | |||
| | binomial_authority = (], 1775) | |||
| | range_map=snow leopard range.png | |||
| | range_map_caption=Range map | |||
| | synonyms = | |||
| *''Felis irbis'' <small>], 1830 (= ''Felis uncia'' Schreber, 1775), by subsequent designation (], 1904).<ref name=msw3/></small> | |||
| *''Uncia uncia'' <small>], 1930</small> | |||
| | subdivision_ranks = ] | |||
| | subdivision = ] | |||
| }} | |||
| The '''snow leopard''' (''] uncia'' ] ''Uncia uncia'') is a large ] native to the mountain ranges of ] and ]. It is listed as ] on the ] because as of 2003, the size of the global population was estimated at 4,080-6,590 adults, of which fewer than 2,500 individuals may reproduce in the wild.<ref name="iucn">{{IUCN |assessors=Jackson, R., Mallon, D., McCarthy, T., Chundaway, R. A. & Habib, B. |year=2008 |id=22732 |title=Panthera uncia |version=2013.2}}</ref> | |||
| Snow leopards inhabit ] and ] zones at elevations from {{Convert|3000|to|4500|m|ft|abbr=on}}. In the northern range countries, they also occur at lower elevations.<ref name=McCarthy2003>{{cite book |year=2003 |last1=McCarthy |first1= T. M. |last2=Chapron |first2=G. (eds.) |title=Snow Leopard Survival Strategy |publisher= International Snow Leopard Trust and Snow Leopard Network |location=Seattle, USA}}</ref> | |||
| ], the snow leopard was classified as ''Uncia uncia'' since the early 1930s.<ref name=msw3>{{MSW3 Wozencraft |page=548|id=14000269}}</ref> Based on ] studies, the cat is considered a member of the ] '']'' since 2008.<ref name=iucn/><ref name=Janecka2008>Janecka, J. E., Jackson, R., Zhang, Y., Diqiang Li, Munkhtsog, B., Buckley-Beason, V. and Murphy, W. J. 2008. Population Monitoring of Snow Leopards Using Noninvasive Genetics. Cat News 48: 7–10.</ref> Two subspecies have been attributed, but genetic differences between the two have not been settled.<ref name=iucn/> | |||
| The snow leopard is the ].<ref>{{cite web |title=National Symbols and Things of Pakistan |publisher=Government of Pakistan |url=http://www.pakistan.gov.pk/gop/index.php?q=aHR0cDovLzE5Mi4xNjguNzAuMTM2L2dvcC8uL2ZybURldGFpbHMuYXNweD9vcHQ9bWlzY2xpbmtzJmlkPTQx |accessdate=2013-11-27}}</ref> | |||
| ==Description== | |||
| ] | |||
| Snow leopards are slightly smaller than the other ] but, like them, exhibit a range of sizes, generally weighing between {{Convert|27|and|55|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, with an occasional large male reaching {{convert|75|kg|lb|abbr=on}} and small female of under {{convert|25|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.<ref>Boitani, Luigi (1984) ''Simon & Schuster's Guide to Mammals''. Simon & Schuster/Touchstone Books, ISBN 978-0-671-42805-1</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.science.smith.edu/msi/pdf/i0076-3519-020-01-0001.pdf|journal=Mammalian Species|title=''Uncia uncia''|author=Hemmer, Helmut|volume=20|pages=1–5|year=1972|doi=10.2307/3503882|issue=20}}</ref> They have a relatively short body, measuring in length from the head to the base of the tail {{Convert|75|to|130|cm|in|sigfig=1|abbr=on}}. However, the tail is quite long, at {{convert|80|to|100|cm|in|abbr=on}}, with only the ]-sized ] being relatively longer-tailed.<ref name=WCoW>{{cite book|author=Sunquist, Mel|author2=Sunquist, Fiona|year=2002|title= Wild cats of the World |publisher=University of Chicago Press |location= Chicago |pages= 377–394|isbn= 0-226-77999-8}}</ref><ref name=Trust/> They are stocky and short-legged big cats, standing about 60 cm (24 in) at the shoulder.<ref>. SnowLeopard.org</ref> | |||
| Snow leopards have long, thick fur, and their base color varies from smoky gray to yellowish tan, with whitish underparts. They have dark grey to black open rosettes on their bodies, with small spots of the same color on their heads and larger spots on their legs and tails. Unusually among cats, their eyes are pale green or grey in color.<ref name=WCoW/><ref name=Trust/> | |||
| Snow leopards show several adaptations for living in a cold, mountainous environment. Their bodies are stocky, their fur is thick, and their ears are small and rounded, all of which help to minimize heat loss. Their paws are wide, which distributes their weight better 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. Snow leopards' tails are long and flexible, helping them to maintain their balance, which is very important in the rocky terrain they inhabit. Their tails are also very thick due to storage of fat and are very thickly covered with fur which allows them to be used like a blanket to protect their faces when asleep.<ref name=Trust/><ref name=NatGeog>{{cite web | work = National Geographic | year = 2008 | url = http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2008/06/snow-leopards/chadwick-text/1 | title = Out of the Shadows By Douglas H. Chadwick | accessdate = 2010-01-29}}</ref> | |||
| The snow leopard has a short muzzle and domed forehead, containing unusually large ] that help the animal breathe the thin, cold air of their mountainous environment.<ref name="WCoW" /> | |||
| The snow leopard cannot ], despite possessing partial ] of the ]. This partial ossification was previously thought to be essential for allowing the ]s to roar, but new studies show the ability to roar is due to other ] features, especially of the ], which are absent in the snow leopard.<ref name="Walker">{{cite book | last = Nowak | first = Ronald M. | title = Walker's Mammals of the World | publisher = ] | year = 1999 | isbn = 0-8018-5789-9}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | last = Weissengruber | first = GE | coauthors = G Forstenpointner, G Peters, A Kübber-Heiss, and WT Fitch | title = Hyoid apparatus and pharynx in the lion (''Panthera leo''), jaguar (''Panthera onca''), tiger (''Panthera tigris''), cheetah (''Acinonyx jubatus'') and domestic cat (''Felis silvestris f. catus'') | publisher = Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland | pages=195–209 |date=September 2002 | doi =10.1046/j.1469-7580.2002.00088.x| pmc = 1570911 | volume = 201 | issue = 3 | journal = Journal of Anatomy | pmid = 12363272}}</ref> Snow leopard vocalizations include hisses, ], mews, growls, and wailing. | |||
| Snow leopards were only reclassified as a member of the Panthera genus (big cats) following a genetic study by Mr Brian Davis, Dr Gang Li and Professor William Murphy in 2009. This study showed that Snow leopards actually evolved alongside tigers and not leopards as previously thought. | |||
| ==Naming and etymology== | |||
| ] | |||
| Both the ]ised genus name, ''Uncia'', and the occasional ] name "ounce" are derived from the ] ''once'', originally used for the ]. "''Once''" itself is believed to have arisen by ] from an earlier word "''lonce''" – the "l" of "''lonce''" was construed as an abbreviated "''la''" ("the"), leaving "''once''" to be perceived as the animal's name. This, like the English version "ounce", became used for other lynx-sized cats, and eventually for the snow leopard.<ref>{{cite journal|page=214|url=http://www.archive.org/stream/publications23modeuoft#page/214/mode/1up|author=Allen, Edward A |title=English Doublets |volume=23 (new series 16)|year=1908|journal=Publications of the Modern Language Association of America}}</ref><ref name="OED">'']'', Oxford University Press. 1933: Ounce</ref> | |||
| The snow leopard is also known in its native lands as "''wāwrīn pṛāng''" ({{lang-ps|واورين پړانګ}}), "''shan''" (]), "''irves''" ({{lang-mn|ирвэс}}), "''bars''" or "''barys''" ({{lang-kk|барыс}} {{IPA-kk|ˈbɑrəs|}}), "''ilbirs''" (]: Илбирс), "''barfānī chītā''" (Hindi, ]: برفانی چیتا) and "''him tendua''" (], {{lang-hi|हिम तेन्दुआ}}). | |||
| According to the American Heritage Dictionary, the origin of the word '']'' is unknown. A folk etymology derives the word from the Greek πάν ''pan'' ("all") and ''thēr'' (beast of prey) because they can hunt and kill almost anything. It was proposed to have come ultimately into Greek from a Sanskrit word meaning "the yellowish animal" or "whitish-yellow". The Greek word πάνθηρ, ''pánthēr'', referred to all spotted ] generically. | |||
| ==Distribution and habitat== | |||
| ]]] | |||
| The snow leopard is distributed from the west of ] through southern ], in the ], in the Russian ], ] and ], in the ], across ], ], ], and ] to the ] in eastern ], ] in northern ], in the ], and in the high altitudes of the ]s in ], ], and ], and the ]. In ], it is found in the Mongolian and Gobi Altai and the ]. In ], it is found up to the ] in the north.<ref name=McCarthy2003/><ref>{{cite book |author=Geptner, V. G., Sludskii, A. A. |title=Mammals of the Soviet Union: Carnivora (Hyaenas and Cats) |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=UxWZ-OmTqVoC |year=1992 |publisher=BRILL |isbn=978-90-04-08876-4}}</ref> | |||
| As of April 2014, around 400 - 700 snow leopards remain in ], found across almost 1,29,000 km<sup>2</sup> in the states of ], ], ], ] and ].<ref></ref> | |||
| In summer, snow leopards usually live above the ] on mountainous meadows and in rocky regions at altitudes from {{Convert|2700|to|6000|m|ft|abbr=on}}. In winter, they come down into the forests to altitudes around {{Convert|1200|to|2000|m|ft|abbr=on}}. Snow leopards prefer rocky, broken terrain, and can travel without difficulty in snow up to {{convert|85|cm|in|abbr=on}} deep, although they prefer to use existing trails made by other animals.<ref name=WCoW/> | |||
| ==Taxonomy and evolution== | |||
| ] | |||
| The snow leopard was first described by ] in 1775 on the basis of an illustration. Schreber named the cat ''Felis uncia'' and assumed that it ranges in ], ], ], and China.<ref>Schreber, J. C. D. (1778). ''Die Säugethiere in Abbildungen nach der Natur mit Beschreibungen. Theil 3: Die Kaze. Felis.'' Wolfgang Walther, Erlangen. Pp. 386–387. </ref> | |||
| In 1854, ] proposed the ] ''Uncia'', to which he subordinated the snow leopard under the name ''Uncia irbis''.<ref>Gray, J. E. (1854). . Annals and Magazine of Natural history including Zoology, Botany, and Geology, 2nd series (XIV): 394.</ref> ] corroborated this classification, but attributed the scientific name ''Uncia uncia''. He also described morphological differences to the '']'' cats.<ref>Pocock, R. I. (1930). The panthers and ounces of Asia. Part II. The panthers of Kashmir, India, and Ceylon. Journal of the Bombay Natural History Society 34(2): 307–336.</ref> | |||
| Based on ] studies, the snow leopard has been considered a member of the genus ''Panthera'' since 2008.<ref name=Janecka2008/> The ] is considered its closest relative.<ref name=Johnson2006>{{cite journal |last= Johnson|first= W. E. |coauthors= Eizirik, E., Pecon-Slattery, J., Murphy, W. J., Antunes, A., Teeling, E. and O'Brien, S. J.|year= 2006 |title= The Late Miocene radiation of modern Felidae: A genetic assessment|journal= ] |volume= 311|issue= 5757|pages= 73–77|doi= 10.1126/science.1122277 |pmid= 16400146}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last=Davis|first=B.W.|title= Supermatrix and species tree methods resolve phylogenetic relationships within the big cats, ''Panthera'' (Carnivora: Felidae) |coauthors=Li G., Murphy W. J. |journal=Molecular Phylogenetic Evolution|year= 2010 |issue=56 |pages=64–76|pmid= 20138224|doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2010.01.036 |volume=56}}</ref> | |||
| The snow leopard ] ''U. u. baikalensis-romanii'' was proposed for a population living in the southern ] region, which requires further evaluation.<ref name=msw3/><ref>Medvedev, D. G. (2000). Morfologicheskie otlichiya irbisa iz Yuzhnogo Zabaikalia [Morphological | |||
| differences of the snow leopard from Southern Transbaikalia]. Vestnik Irkutskoi Gosudarstvennoi sel'skokhozyaistvennoi akademyi , vypusk 20:20–30 (in Russian).</ref> Authors of the ] recognize two subspecies, namely ''U. u. uncia'' occurring in Mongolia and Russia; and ''U. u. uncioides'' living in western China and the Himalayas.<ref>{{cite book |authors=Wilson, D. E., Mittermeier, R. A. (eds.) |year=2009 |title=]'' |volume=1. Carnivores |publisher=Lynx Edicions |location=Barcelona, Spain |isbn=978-84-96553-49-1}}</ref> | |||
| ==Ecology and behavior== | |||
| The snow leopard is solitary, except for females with cubs. They rear them in dens in the mountains for extended periods.{{citation needed|date=March 2014}} | |||
| An individual snow leopard lives within a well-defined home range, but does not defend its territory aggressively when encroached upon by other snow leopards. Home ranges vary greatly in size. In Nepal, where prey is abundant, a home range may be as small as {{Convert|12|km2|sqmi|0|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} to {{Convert|40|km2|sqmi|0|sigfig=2|abbr=on}} and up to five to 10 animals are found here per {{Convert|100|km2|sqmi|0|sigfig=1|abbr=on}}; in habitats with sparse prey, though, an area of {{Convert|1000|km2|sqmi|0|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} supports only five of these cats.<ref name="Walker"/> | |||
| Like other cats, snow leopards use ]s to indicate their territories and common travel routes. These are most commonly produced by scraping the ground with the hind feet before depositing ] or ], but they also ] onto sheltered patches of rock.<ref name=WCoW/> | |||
| Snow leopards are ], being most active at dawn and dusk.<ref name=Trust/> They are known for being extremely secretive and well camouflaged. | |||
| ===Hunting and diet=== | |||
| ], Australia]] | |||
| Snow leopards are ]s and actively ] their prey. Like many cats, they are also opportunistic feeders, eating whatever meat they can find, including ] and domestic livestock. They can kill animals more than three to four times their own weight, such as the ], ], ] and ], but will readily take much smaller prey, such as ]s and ]s.<ref name=NatGeog/> They are capable of killing most animals in their range with the probable exception of the adult male ]. Unusually among cats, snow leopards also eat a significant amount of vegetation, including grass and twigs.<ref name=WCoW/> | |||
| The diet of the snow leopard varies across its range and with the time of year, and depends on ] availability. In the ], it preys mostly on bharals (Himalayan blue sheep), but in other mountain ranges, such as the ], ], ] and Tost Mountains of Mongolia, its main prey consists of ] and argali, a type of wild sheep, although this has become rarer in some parts of the snow leopard's range.<ref name=Trust/><ref name=SLCHandbook3>{{cite web |url= http://www.snowleopardconservancy.org/pdf/SL_Survey_Cons_Handbook_Part_3.pdf |title= Snow Leopard Survey and Conservation Handbook Part III |accessdate= 2009-03-14 |author= Jackson, Rodney |coauthors= Hunter, Don O. |year= 1996 |format= PDF |work= Snow Leopard Survey and Conservation Handbook |publisher= International Snow Leopard Trust & U.S. Geological Survey |location= Seattle, Washington, & Fort Collins Science Center, Colorado, US |page= 66 }}</ref><ref name= Plosone>{{cite journal|doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0032104|title=Prey Preference of Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia) in South Gobi, Mongolia|year=2012|editor1-last=Desalle|editor1-first=Robert|last1=Shehzad|first1=Wasim|last2=McCarthy|first2=Thomas Michael|last3=Pompanon|first3=Francois|last4=Purevjav|first4=Lkhagvajav|last5=Coissac|first5=Eric|last6=Riaz|first6=Tiayyba|last7=Taberlet|first7=Pierre|journal=PLoS ONE|volume=7|issue=2|pages=e32104|pmid=22393381|pmc=3290533}}</ref> Other large animals eaten when available can include various types of wild goats and sheep (such as markhors and ]s), other goat-like ]s such as Himalayan tahr and ]s, plus ], ], ]s, and ]s. Smaller prey consists of ]s, ]s, ]s, various ]s, and birds such as the ] and ].<ref name=Trust/><ref name=NatGeog/><ref name=SLCHandbook3/> | |||
| Considerable predation of domestic ] occurs,<ref name=iucn/> which brings it into direct conflict with humans. However, even in Mongolia, where wild prey have been reduced and interactions with humans are common, domestic stock (mainly ]) comprise less than 20% of the diet of species, with wild prey being taken whenever possible.<ref name= Plosone/> Herders will kill snow leopards to prevent them from taking their animals.<ref name=NatGeog/> The loss of prey animals due to overgrazing by domestic livestock, poaching, and defense of livestock are the major drivers for the decreasing population of the snow leopard. The snow leopard has not been reported to attack humans, and appears to be the least aggressive to humans of all big cats. As a result, they are easily driven away from livestock; they readily abandon their kills when threatened, and may not even defend themselves when attacked.<ref name=WCoW/> | |||
| Snow leopards prefer to ] prey from above, using broken terrain to conceal their approach. They will actively pursue prey down steep mountainsides, using the momentum of their initial leap to chase animals for up to {{convert|300|m|ft|abbr=on}}. They kill with a bite to the neck, and may drag the prey to a safe location before feeding. They consume all edible parts of the carcass, and can survive on a single bharal for two weeks before hunting again. Annual prey needs appears to be 20–30 adult blue sheep.<ref name=iucn/><ref name=WCoW/> | |||
| ===Reproduction and life cycle=== | |||
| ], UK]] | |||
| Snow leopards are unusual among large cats in that they have a well-defined birth peak. They usually ] in late winter, marked by a noticeable increase in marking and calling. Snow leopards have a ] of 90–100 days, so the cubs are born between April and June. ] 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 ], from 12 to 36 times a day.<ref name=WCoW/> | |||
| The mother gives birth in a rocky den or crevice lined with fur shed from her underside. ] sizes vary from one to five ]s, 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 {{convert|320|to|567|g|oz|abbr=on}}. Their eyes open at around seven days, and the cubs can walk at five weeks and are fully weaned by 10 weeks.<ref name=WCoW/> Also when they are born, they have full black spots which turn into rosettes as they grow to adolescence.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}} | |||
| 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 21 years.<ref name=WCoW/> | |||
| ==Conservation status== | |||
| Numerous agencies are working to conserve the snow leopard and its threatened mountain ecosystems. These include the ], the ], the Snow Leopard Network, the Cat Specialist Group and the ]. These groups and numerous national governments from the snow leopard’s range, nonprofits and donors from around the world recently worked together at the 10th International Snow Leopard Conference in Beijing. Their focus on research, community programs in snow leopard regions, and education programs are aimed at understanding the cat's needs, as well as the needs of the villagers and herder communities affecting snow leopards' lives and habitat.<ref>Theile, Stephanie (2003) . TRAFFIC International, ISBN 1858502012</ref><ref>, Australian Broadcasting Corporation (2009-05-06). Retrieved 27 June 2009.</ref> | |||
| ===Population and protected areas=== | |||
| ], France, showing the thickly furred tail]] | |||
| ] | |||
| The total wild population of the snow leopard was estimated at 4,510 to 7,350 individuals.<ref name="carnivoreconservation1"/> Many of these estimates are rough and outdated.<ref name=iucn/> | |||
| In 1972, the ] (IUCN) placed the snow leopard on its ] as globally "Endangered"; the same threat category was applied in the assessment conducted in 2008. | |||
| There are also approximately 600 snow leopards in zoos around the world.<ref name=Trust>{{cite web|work=snowleopard.org|title=Snow Leopard Fact Sheet | year = 2008 | url = http://www.snowleopard.org/downloads/snow_leopard_fact_sheet_english.pdf| accessdate = 2008-07-03}}</ref> | |||
| {| class="wikitable sortable" | |||
| |- valign=bottom | |||
| ! Range Country !! Habitat Area<br>(km<sup>2</sup>) !! Estimated<br>Population<ref name=iucn/> | |||
| |- | |||
| | Afghanistan || 50,000 || 100–200? | |||
| |- | |||
| | Bhutan || 15,000 || 100–200? | |||
| |- | |||
| | China || 1,100,000 || 2,000–2,500 | |||
| |- | |||
| | India || 75,000 || 200–600 | |||
| |- | |||
| | Kazakhstan || 50,000 || 180–200 | |||
| |- | |||
| | Kyrgyzstan || 105,000|| 150–500 | |||
| |- | |||
| | Mongolia || 101,000 || 500–1,000 | |||
| |- | |||
| | Nepal || 30,000 || 300–500 | |||
| |- | |||
| | Pakistan || 80,000 || 200–420 | |||
| |- | |||
| | Tajikistan || 100,000 || 180–220 | |||
| |- | |||
| | Uzbekistan || 10,000|| 20–50 | |||
| |} | |||
| ]]] | |||
| '''Protected areas:''' | |||
| * ], in the ], Pakistan | |||
| * ], in ], ], India | |||
| * ], ], Pakistan | |||
| * ], in state of ], India, a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site<ref>UNESCO World Heritage Centre . Retrieved 27 November 2006.</ref> | |||
| * ], ], China<ref>. china.future.org</ref><ref>Jackson, Rodney , pp. 40–46 in ''Tibet’s Biodiversity: Conservation and Management''. | |||
| Proceedings of a Conference, August 30 – September 4, 1998. Edited by Wu Ning, D. Miller, Lhu Zhu and J. Springer. Tibet Forestry Department and World Wide Fund for Nature. China Forestry Publishing House</ref> | |||
| * ], Nepal, a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site.<ref>UNESCO World Heritage Center. . Retrieved 27 November 2006.</ref> | |||
| * ], western ], ], China.<ref>Ming, Ma; Snow Leopard Network (2005). . Retrieved 27 November 2006.</ref> | |||
| * ], Uttarakhand, India, a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site | |||
| * ], ], Nepal | |||
| * ], ], Nepal | |||
| * ], Western Nepal | |||
| * ], Western Nepal | |||
| * ], Bhutan | |||
| * ], Mongolia | |||
| * ], on the territorial border of ] and the ], ] | |||
| * ], near ], India | |||
| * ], Kazakhstan | |||
| * ], Kyrgyzstan | |||
| * ], Russia | |||
| * ], ], ], ] | |||
| * ], ], ], India | |||
| * ], ], Himachal Pradesh, India | |||
| * ], Nepal, India, ] | |||
| Much progress has been made in securing the survival of the snow leopard, with them being successfully bred in captivity. The animals usually give birth to two to three cubs in a litter, but can give birth to up to seven in some cases. | |||
| A "surprisingly healthy" population of snow leopards has been found living at 16 locations in the isolated ] in northeastern Afghanistan, giving rise to hopes for survival of wild snow leopards in that region.<ref>Farmer, Ben (2011-07-15). ''The Telegraph''.</ref> | |||
| ==Relationships with humans== | |||
| ===Snow leopard in media=== | |||
| The documentary "Spirit of the Mountains - The Snow Leopard" by filmmaker Erik Fernström from 2003 depicts a lot about the illegal trade in snow leopards and their parts.<ref>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxsfXran6gk</ref> | |||
| Another documentary on snow leopards was made by Hugh Miles, named ''Silent Roar – In Search of the Snow Leopard''. | |||
| '']'' has a segment on snow leopards. The series took some of the first video of snow leopards in the wild, and also featured a snow leopard hunting a markhor.<ref>. BBC (2006-02-01). Retrieved on 2012-08-23.</ref> | |||
| Nisar Malik, a Pakistani journalist, and cameraman Mark Smith (who had worked on the Planet Earth segment) spent a further 18 months filming snow leopards in the ] for the ] film ''Snow Leopard – Beyond the Myth''.<ref>. Bbc.co.uk (2008-09-23). Retrieved on 2012-08-23.</ref> | |||
| In the 2013 film '']'', photojournalist Sean O'Connell (played by Sean Penn) is shown photographing snow leopards in Afghanistan. | |||
| In Philip Pullman's '']'', published in 1995, Lord Asriel's dæmon is a snow leopard named Stelmaria. | |||
| Tai Lung, the main antagonist of the 2008 film ] is a snow leopard. | |||
| ===Snow leopard in heraldry=== | |||
| Snow leopards have symbolic meaning for Turkic people of Central Asia, where the animal is known as ''irbis'' or ''bars'', so it is widely used in heraldry and as an emblem. | |||
| The snow leopard (in ] known as the ounce) (]) is a national symbol for ] and ]: a snow leopard is found on the official seal of the city of ], and a ] is found on ]'s ]. A similar leopard is featured on the ]. The ] was given to Soviet mountaineers who scaled all five of the ]'s 7000-meter peaks. In addition, the snow leopard is the symbol of the ]. | |||
| <gallery> | |||
| File:SnowLeopard10000KZT.jpg|Snow leopard on the reverse of the old 10000-] (]) banknote | |||
| File:Coat_of_Arms_of_Tatarstan.svg|''Aq Bars'' is the coat of arms of ]. It is an ancient ] and ] symbol translated as "white leopard" or "snow leopard". | |||
| File:Coat of arms of Almaty.svg|Symbol of ], ] | |||
| File:Old coat of arms of Astana.svg|Symbol (old coat of arms) of ], the capital of ] | |||
| File:Coat of arms of Bishkek Kyrgyzstan.svg|Symbol of ], the capital of ] | |||
| File:Coat of Arms of Shushensky rayon (Krasnoayarsk krai).png|Coat of arms of ], ] | |||
| File:Kyrgyzstan Girl Scouts Association.png|Membership badge of the ] | |||
| File:Coat of arms of Samarkand.svg|Seal of City of ], ] | |||
| </gallery> | |||
| ===As a national emblem=== | |||
| * Snow Leopard is the ] of ].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pakistan.gov.pk/gop/index.php?q=aHR0cDovLzE5Mi4xNjguNzAuMTM2L2dvcC8uL2ZybURldGFpbHMuYXNweD9vcHQ9bWlzY2xpbmtzJmlkPTQx|title=National Symbols and Things of Pakistan | |||
| |publisher=Government of Pakistan|accessdate=2013-11-27}}</ref> | |||
| * The snow leopard is the ] of Himachal Pradesh, a north Indian state in the western ]. | |||
| ===Attacks on humans=== | |||
| There are no records of any snow leopard ever attacking a human being.<ref name="Inskip&Zimmermann2009">{{cite journal |last1=Inskip |first1=C. |last2=Zimmermann |first2=A. |year=2009 |title=Human-felid conflict: A review of patterns and priorities worldwide |journal=Oryx |volume=43 |issue=1 |pages=18–34 |doi=10.1017/S003060530899030X}}</ref><ref name="Nowell&Jackson1996">{{cite book |editor1-first=K. |editor1-last=Nowell |editor2-first=P. |editor2-last=Jackson |title=Wild cats: Status survey and conservation action plan |accessdate=21 March 2013 |year=1996 |publisher=International Union for Conservation of Nature |location=Gland, Switzerland |isbn=9782831700458 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=OxfxlpfXNtcC&lpg=PA194&vq&pg=PA194|pages=193–195}}</ref> | |||
| ==References== | |||
| <!-- If not explicitly said, all URLs accessed prior to March 27, 2006. --> | |||
| {{reflist|35em|refs= | |||
| <ref name="carnivoreconservation1">{{cite book|author=McCarthy, T. M. and Chapron, G. |year=2003|url=http://www.panthera.org/sites/default/files/McCarthy_et_al_2003_Snow_leopard_survival_strategy.pdf |title=Snow Leopard Survival Strategy|publisher=ISLT and SLN|place=Seattle, USA|page=15 and Table II}}</ref> | |||
| }} | |||
| <!-- Please inline these references: | |||
| * Janczewski, Dianne N., William S. Modi, J. Claiborne Stephens, and Stephen J. O'Brien. 1995. . ''Molecular Biology and Evolution'' '''12'''(4):690–707. | |||
| * Theile, Stephanie. 2003. . TRAFFIC International. ISBN 1-85850-201-2. | |||
| --> | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{Commons|Panthera uncia}} | |||
| {{wikispecies|Panthera uncia}} | |||
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| BEFORE adding links here please make sure you've understood Misplaced Pages's policy on external links, ] | |||
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| * | |||
| * ARKive – | |||
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| * – editorial on the need for snow leopard conservation | |||
| * | |||
| {{Carnivora|Fe.}} | |||
| ] | |||
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Revision as of 20:03, 3 June 2014
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