Dear Jon,
Welcome back to our Featured Creature series, where we share a creature whose evolutionary traits, special role within its ecosystem, or fun facts have captured our attention.
This week we ask,
Which creature has an invisibility cloak, built-in snowshoes, and an important role in Central Asia’s mountainous ecosystems?
Snow leopards!
Mountain climber
Snow leopards live throughout 12 countries in Central Asia, from China to Russia. The mountain ranges they inhabit are typically cold, dry, and arid. In the summer, these mountains are mostly yellow-brown, so snow leopards sport a yellowish gray coat that blends them in with the background. In the winter, their spotted coats become off-white, matching the abundance of snow in these high elevations. These camouflage superpowers earned them the nickname “ghost of the mountains.”
Apart from changing colors, the coat also alters in density. In the winter, the coat becomes extra thick to maintain warmth. Another way these felines stay warm is by wrapping their extra long tail, that’s 3 ft long, around their bodies - just like a blanket! Their tails also help them maintain their balance, which is something necessary for survival at such high altitudes.
To navigate the rugged terrain, snow leopards use another unique adaptation: built-in snowshoes. Their paws are really large relative to their size, and this prevents them from sinking into the snow. Thanks to strong and slightly longer hind limbs, snow leopards can leap themselves up to 12 m (or 40 ft) in one leap!
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Pop Quiz: Want to see that camouflage put to the test? See if you can find the two snow leopards in the picture below (answers are at the bottom of this email).
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Learning to leopard
After enjoying a cozy nursery in a cave filled with mom’s fur for extra warmth, snow leopard cubs need to grow up fast so they can survive in such a harsh environment. At 2 months old, they begin to eat solid food. One month later, they start to mimic mom and learn how to hunt. Before they turn two years old, cubs leave their moms to find a territory of their own. Imagine if we were expected to find a job and buy a house at 18 months old!
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Resilient but threatened
Unfortunately, territory markings aren’t enough to keep humans away. Snow leopards are protected in some parts of Central Asia, but where they aren’t, hunters and poachers who desire their coats for profit pose a severe threat. Like other predators, snow leopards are disliked by ranchers trying to protect their livestock. Ironically, people also hunt snow leopards’ prey, forcing the felines to search for other sources of food
Other threats include commercial development and global warming. Snow leopards prefer high altitudes with plenty of snow and minimal plants so they can more easily scour for prey. With warming temperatures, less snow will be available and plants that previously couldn’t survive at those altitudes will soon be able to - leading to habitat loss. Although globally we want more plants and trees for their contributions to the water and carbon cycles, not all animals are meant to live in forests.
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Did you pass the quiz?
With mountains of
appreciation,
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Tania Roa
Sources:
https://snowleopard.org/snow-leopard-facts/
https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/5-reasons-why/article/5-reasons-snow-leopards
https://www.thoughtco.com/snow-leopard-facts-4584448
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Cambridge, MA 02139
781-674-2339
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