The+Snow+Leopard+-+Calvin+Chan

__**Modern Animal – The Snow Leopard**__ Ancient Animal - The European Cave Lion Future Animal - The Silver Leopard

Calvin Chan

The snow leopard, known as the //Panthera Uncia// is a very unique species and also very rare as it is estimated to be 3000-7000 of them left in the wild marking them as an endangered species. The size of the Snow leopard is 47-59 inches and it weighs approximately 30 – 55 kg. Due to the lack and elusiveness of these cats there is not a lot of information about them but they do know that they very high up in the cold mountain ranges of central Asia spreading over 12 countries and are very endangered due to their beautiful distinctive fur from poachers which could ensue that this animal to become extinct very soon.

__**Classification**__

Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Panthera Species: Uncia

There has been a lot of debate on the genus of the species of whether it should be in its own category or part of the ­­panthera genus because of the small characteristic of not being able to roar like many of the other Panthera genus but is still considered a Panthera genus therefore //panthera uncia//. The big cats within the Panthera species include Tigers, African Leopards, Lions and also the jaguar.

The environment that the snow leopard lives in is very astonishing as it lives in a very cold and harsh environment where there is very scarce oxygen in the air, which is not suitable for humans to live in but allows this species to thrive in. The Snow leopard’s habitat is the mountains ranges of Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, Kazakhstan, India, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and many more central Asian countries (reffer to Fig: 1) but they usually travel instead of staying in one area. They live in altitudes ranging from 3000 – 4600m up in the mountains, normally in steep slopes, ridges or valleys interrupted by a cliff edge. As the name suggests and by living in this altitude they have to survive in the snow sometimes reaching - 10 co in which they have to evolve and adapt to survive.
 * __Habitat__**

During summer and winter they change the altitudes they live in as during winter they move further down into the alpine zone of the mountain to follow its prey while in summer it prefers to move back higher up the mountain into the sub alpine zone. When the snow leopard actually has to rest it prefers rocky caverns and crevices. The terrain they live in is very rocky, steep and contains little to no vegetation because it is in the sub alpine zone.


 * __Diet within its habitat__**

The snow leopards is a carnivor and its prey can be up to three times its size and this includes [|Marmots], Alpine Ibex, Blue Sheep, Hares and boars. The way the snow leopard hunts is remarkable as they have to run down very steep hills in order to catch its prey and is also very stealthy, by prowling in order to get close to it. The Snow leopard usually takes several days to finish the carcass of the prey it has just successfully hunted. The snow leopard has an abundant source of water surrounding it but is not water, its snow. The snow leopard gets its daily hydration from drinking the melted run off water from snow in order to keep the required sustenance to survive.

__**Its effect on the Ecosystem**__

The snow leopard may be a solitary animal but it has a very important role to play in its harsh environment. The role for the Snow leopard is to keep the population of its prey in balance to avoid the destruction of the eco system. The snow leopard’s prey includes wild sheep and goats, but if the snow leopard was not there to regulate their population, all the population would be gone and it degrade the landscape because there would be no roots holding together the rocky hills and also there would be a lack of vegetation which would cause an imbalance in the ecosystem.

media type="youtube" key="xpbIjUKt6wY" height="349" width="425" align="left"  __**(**__**Video 1****- Snow Leopard hunting. Source - http://www.youtube.com/embed/xpbIjUKt6wY) ** __**Adaptations**__

In order for the snow leopard to survive the rocky mountainous habitat it has evolved large padded paws covered with fur to compensate for the environment. The function of the snow leopard paws is as states in its name, live in the snow. Their padded paws allow the snow leopard to become “snow shoes” and tread through the snow without falling through the snow. The thick padding also has another use which is to support the weight of the snow leopard as it prowls its rocky environment to sustain necessary grip and protection to travel on these rocky cliffs edges and mountains as when they hunt they leap down these extremely steep hills at a very fast pace to chase these mountain goats and can have no margin for error as their lives are at risk (refer to Video 1). The reason for the evolution of its thick paws is to sustain warmth and the ability to move freely and hunt around the steep alpine regions without endangering itself and pass off this ability to future generations.
 * __[[image:Snow_Leopard_Paw.png align="right" caption="Fig: 3 - Snow Leopard Padded Paw - Source - http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/snow-leopard/"]]Structural Attribute of the Snow Leopard – The evolution of their paws__**

The Environmental pressure that led to the evolution of the snow leopard paws to be so thick and padded was the rocky alpine environment that they have to live in and travel on. If they had not evolvedto suit this environment, they wouldn't be able to survive in it.
 * __Environemental Pressure__**

The snow leopards have evolved its long furry tail over many generations in order to survive in the harsh alpine terrain. Its tail measures up to 1 metre long and it aids it in balancing when walking on unstable surfaces such as cliff edges. The tail acts as a counter balance so when the snow leopard is bolting down the mountain chasing its prey it doesnt fall and injure itself and without the tail it sould just fall off and fataly injury itself causing it to die. A behavioural use of the snow leopards structural tail that contributed to its survival in its environment is that the air is very cold, so it wraps its tail around its mouth and breathes warm air through its furry tail in order to sustain its core body temperature. This is one of the aspects that allow the Snow leopard to survive in the unstable and cold alpine habitat.
 * __Structural Attribute of the Snow Leopard – The evolution of their long tails__**

The environmental pressure that lead to the snow leopard needing to have a long tail is that the weather is cold, and they require warm oxygen so they have to breathe warm air though its tail. The tail also helps the snow leopard hunt in the rocky ridges as they have to run down it at high speeds withour falling over.
 * __Environemental Pressure__**


 * __Physical Attribute of the Snow Leopard – Snow Leopard Fur__**

In order for the Snow leopard to survive in its below freezing habitat, their fur has evolved to suit this need to stay warm and in addition helps them hunt their prey. Their fur is very dense and furry nearly 12cm long on their bellies in order to sustain a viable core temperature to survive in the bitter cold environment. The snow leopard uses the technique of camouflage through the patterns on their fur which consists of a base colour that range from white, yellowish to a smoky grey fur pattern and dark grey spots. The base colour of the fur usually changes colour much like the Arctic Fox during the change of seasons. During winter their colour is very light and white to suit the snowbut in summer they have to adapt to the rocky by changing to a darker colour to camouflage with the rocky terrain and this helps them hunt their prey easier as the fur colour and patterns make it harder to be detected (reffer to Fig. 3).


 * __Environemental Pressure__**

The snowy and rocky environment has made the snow leopard coat change because they have to be able to camoflauge in this area in order to hunt its prey.

**__Behavioural Attributes of the Snow Leopard – Marking territory__** Other than the snow leopards physical characteristics, it has many different behavioural activities that has allowed it to survive such as marking its territory( ref fig 4). It marks its territory by using its faeces or urine which gives off a scent so other cats will stay away from their territory as they are solitary creatures. By marking their territory it allows them have to be in control of their own area and the prey in it, without sharing with other snow leopards which avoids aggressive disputes. They also mark their territory during mating season so it is easier for the cats to locate other cats and mate to ensure the survival and passing down of genes.

The environmental pressure that lead to its requirements or marking its territory is because the habitat they live in is so vast, that if they didn't mark its territory, snow leopards would be in each otheres area and they would have to compete for prey which results in disputes. It is easier for the snow leopards to live harmoniously if they mark their territory and stay out of each others area.
 * __Environemental Pressure__**

**__Physiological attributes of the snow leopard – Snow Leopard Saliva__**

In order for the snow leopard to survive in the harsh environment and not be affected by injuries mostly infected wounds, so it has to have a way to cope, which is when its physiological attributes kick in. The snow leopard much like other felid cats such as the **__tiger__**, have special properties within its saliva that contain a number of proteins, these proteins are antibodies which include lysozymes and mucus. First of all the antibodies as the name suggests remove foreign objects, largely bacteria and virus’s as they can make the snow leopard sick and use lysozymes work alongside with the mucus as the lysosome attacks bacteria while the mucus stops the harmful bacteria and viruses from moving to fast. The saliva acts as a disinfectant for wounds so there are no life threating infections, so it can carry out with its normal behaviour without being hindered with the infections.


 * __Environemental Pressure__**

Due to the sharp rocky terrain they live in, they get many wounds and in order for them not to die or get fataly injured by these wounds, they have to use the saliva to disenfect it in order to stop the spread of bacteria or virus's.

__Bibliography__ Physical Features -- snow Leopard Trust. No Author. Accessed 20 June, 2011 Retrieved From. http://www.snowleopard.org/catfactsclassroom/catfacts/physicalfeatures Snow Leopard Facts .No Author. Accessed 22 June, 2011 Retrieved on http://snowleopardblog.com/about/ Snow Leopard. AuthorKaylee Bishop. Accessed 25 June, 2011. Retrieved from http://bioweb.uwlax.edu/bio203/s2008/bishop_kayl/adaptation.htm