外貌
The?snow?leopard?is?a?moderately?large?cat?native?to?the?mountain?ranges?of?South?Asia?and?Central?Asia.?The?classification?of?this?species?has?been?subject?to?change?and?its?exact?taxonomic?position?will?not?be?resolved?until?further?studies?are?conducted.
Snow?leopards?live?between?3,000?and?5,500?metres?(9,800?and?18,000?ft)?above?sea?level?in?the?rocky?mountain?ranges?of?Central?Asia.?Their?secretive?nature?means?that?their?exact?numbers?are?unknown,?but?it?has?been?estimated?that?between?3,500?and?7,000?snow?leopards?exist?in?the?wild?and?between?600?and?700?in?zoos?worldwide.
Snow?leopards?are?smaller?than?the?other?big?cats?but,?like?them,?exhibit?a?range?of?sizes,?generally?weighing?between?27?and?54?kilograms?(60?and?120?lb).?Body?length?ranges?from?75?to?130?centimetres?(30?to?50?in),?with?the?tail?adding?an?additional?75?to?90?percent?of?that?length.
Snow?leopards?have?long?thick?fur,?whose?base?colour?varies?from?smoky?grey?to?yellowish?tan,?with?whitish?underparts.?They?have?dark?grey?to?black?open?rosettes?on?their?body?with?small?spots?of?the?same?color?on?their?heads?and?larger?spots?on?their?legs?and?tail.?Unusually?among?cats,?their?eyes?are?pale?green?or?grey?in?colour.
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;?the?tails?are?also?very?thick?due?to?storage?of?fats,?and?are?very?thickly?covered?with?fur?which?allows?them?to?be?used?like?a?blanket?to?protect?their?faces?when?asleep.
The?snow?leopard?has?a?short?muzzle?and?domed?forehead,?containing?unusual?large?nasal?cavities?that?help?the?animal?breathe?the?thin?cold?air?of?their?mountainous?environment.
Snow?leopards?cannot?roar,?despite?possessing?some?ossification?of?the?hyoid?bone.?This?ossification?was?previously?thought?to?be?essential?for?allowing?the?big?cats?to?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.
Population?and?protected?areas?現狀
The?total?wild?population?of?the?snow?leopard?was?estimated?at?only?4,080?to?6,590?individuals?by?McCarthy?et?al.?2003?(see?table?below).?Many?of?these?estimates?are?rough?and?outdated.
In?1972?the?International?Union?for?Conservation?of?Nature?(IUCN)?placed?the?snow?leopard?on?its?Red?List?of?Threatened?Species?as?globally?"Endangered";?the?same?threat?category?was?applied?in?the?assessment?conducted?in?2008.
There?are?also?600-700?snow?leopards?in?zoos?around?the?world.（現存數量參見附圖）
Conservation?保護
There?are?numerous?agencies?working?to?conserve?the?snow?leopard?and?its?threatened?mountain?ecosystems.?These?include?the?Snow?Leopard?Trust,?the?Snow?Leopard?Conservancy,?the?Snow?Leopard?Network,?and?the?Panthera?Corporation.?These?groups?and?numerous?national?governments?from?the?snow?leopard's?range,?non-profits?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?impacting?snow?leopards'?lives?and?habitat.