Snow+Leopard+Preston+B.

=Snow Leopards:=

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The snow leopard is a solitary animal and usually lives in mountainous habitats such as the Himalayas and are built to be versatile on rocky and steep plains to catch prey easily with their large, sharp claws and huge jaw with sharp, bone crushing teeth. Their fur is usually whit or grey to camouflage in the snowy environment to stealthily hunt. A male snow leopard can get up to 170 pounds and a length of up to 50 inches.=====



The mating period for snow leopards are very short so most males do not search for a new mate after they have found on. The gestation period for a snow leopard is 90-100 days, and females are noted to have an average of 2 cubs.



The IUCN (IUCN stands for International Union for the Conservation of Nature.) lists snow leopards as endangered and there are an estimated 4,000-6,500 left in the wild, and 600-700 in zoos all over the world. The threat to them is the habitat reduction due to the increase in human settlements and over-grazed areas. Snow leopards are also killed for their pelt and used in traditional chinese medicines. Killings out of retaliation are also a threat, when a snow leopard is caught on a farmers land a farmer might feel threatened and shoot it. Several groups are actively trying to help these beautiful snow leopards from being wiped off the planet forever such as Snow Leopard Trust; the world's oldest and largest foundation devoted to the saving of the species. World Wildlife Fund is also a group that is helping to establish safe habitats for snow leopards and conserve them any way they can. More recently, a group named Snow Leopard Conservancy has been formed and is now working to protect and preserve these wonderful animals.

So how can you help? If you are interested in learning more about snow leopards and want to help them, try doing volunteer work at local zoos, or donate to an organization of your choice by "adopting" a snow leopard and helping the cause.



Bibliography: http://snowleopardconservancy.org/kids/text/ideas.htm http://www.snowleopard.org/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_leopard http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/snow-leopard/ http://worldwildlife.org/species/snow-leopard