Spotted+Snow+Leopard

=**By:Mackenzie Miller**= =__**Characteristics**__= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_leopard = =

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 * The spotted snow leopard weighs 27 to 55 KG or 60 to 120 pounds. There body length ranges from 75 to 130 centimetres or 30 to 50 inches. their tail adds about 80 to 100 centimetres or 31 to 39 inches. their shoulder stands about 60 centimetres or 24 inches.**=====

=__**Prey**__= http://www.snowleopard.org/catfactsclassroom/catfacts/prey = **The spotted snow leopard can kill their prey up to three times its own weight.the sotted snow leopard usally only hunts wild goats and wild sheep.two of their largest prey is the blue sheep and the bharal of the Himalayas. the snow leopard is a very slow eater and usaually takes 3 to 4 days to eat 1 sheep or goat the snow leopard stays close to their prey in case of a scavenger like a vulture comes the snow leopard eats every few hours until the animals** = **bones are clean.the snow leopard eats smaller animals in the summer. their small prey** **includes hares,marmots, pikas ect. the snow leopard is an animal that will go after your live stalk such as horses young yaks goats and sheep. snow leopards aare know to kill more than one animal at a time. when the snow gets deeper it gets harder to hunt.**

=__**Threats**__= http://www.snowleopard.org/catfactsclassroom/catfacts/threats = **the snow leopards biggest threat is a human because the snow leopard is hunted illegally for their pelts used in central Asia.** =

=__Life cycle and reproduction__= http://www.snowleopard.org/catfactsclassroom/catfacts/lifecycle = **the snow leopard female will mate in late winter.the snow leopard has a gestation period for about 90 to 100 days s that their babies aren't born until April or June.the female leopard can have a litter of cubs up to 5 but the usual is about 2 to 3.the male leopard usually will not mate again after mating once.the mom of the babies usually give birth to the babies in the den on sheded fur from the mother.at the birth of the babies they are blind and heplless but they have a big coat of fur.at birth the babies weigh from 320 to 567 grams or 11 to 20 oz.the babies yes open at around 7 days they can walk around 5 weeks and are fully grown as cubs by 10 weeks. the babies leave the den around 2 to 4 months but they stay with their mom until they are independent enough around 18 to 22 months.once they leave they search for wide hunting ground.the snow leopard is sexually mature enough around 2 to 3 years of age.they live until 15 to 18 years but if captured they can can live up to 21 years.the female snow leopards are ready to have babies around the age of 2 to 3 but the males aren't sexually mature enough until around the age of 4.the babies are independent enough to leave their mother around the age of 18 to 22 months of age they learn to hunt and the behaviours of the snow leopard** = =__**Facts on the snow leopard**__= http://www.snowleopard.org/external_files/media/Snow-Leopard-Fact-Sheet.pdf = **the researchers of the snow leopard say there is a population of about 35 hundred to 7 thousand.there is about 6 hundred of the spotted snow leopard in Zoo's around the world.the spotted snow leopardhas a flexibal tail for balaning.the spotted snow leopard has a enlarged nose for the cold weather.they have long fur to keep them warm in the cold weather and they need their thick fur on the tail for rapping around the body and face to keep it warmer.** = =__**habitat**__= []
 * the spotted snow leopard lives in central and southern Asia. the spotted snow leopard lives in one place for about 7 days and then moves miles away to a diferent place to find different prey or a new herd to feed on. the range for the snow leopard has a range of 2 million square kilometers just about the same size as like Mexico.they are usally found a[[image:electricpegasus/4632148615_d19eded815_m.jpg align="right" caption="snow leopard also in a zoo"]]bout 3 thousand to 54 hundred meters above the sea level. 60 percent of snow leopards are found in China.[[image:electricpegasus/2443850613_a16d6cb83a_m.jpg align="right" caption="snow leopards teeth"]][[image:electricpegasus/2717910198_5da1537616_m.jpg align="right" caption="snow leopard cub"]]**