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Snow Leopard
The "ghost of the mountains" — a smoky, thick-furred cat of the high Himalayas, superbly camouflaged and very rarely seen.
How to spot it
A pale, smoke-grey cat with dark rosettes and a long, thick tail almost as long as its body — used for balance on cliffs and wrapped around itself for warmth. Dense fur, wide furred paws and a stocky build are all built for extreme cold.
Where it lives
The high mountains of northern India — Ladakh, Himachal, Uttarakhand and Sikkim — at altitudes where few other large predators go, often above the tree line among rock and snow. Its coat makes it nearly invisible against the grey slopes.
What it eats
A carnivore that hunts blue sheep (bharal), ibex, marmots and hares, ambushing from above and using powerful hind legs to leap far down the slope. It can bring down prey several times its own weight.
Behaviour & life
Solitary and elusive, mostly active at dawn and dusk. It cannot roar; instead it mews, growls and makes a distinctive "chuff". Females raise two or three cubs in a rocky den lined with their own fur.
In India
Protected under Schedule I and classed as Vulnerable, with only a few thousand left across all of Asia. In India it is the focus of Project Snow Leopard; the biggest threats are retaliation for lost livestock and the decline of its mountain prey.
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