Snow leopard Facts for Kids
Panthera uncia · PAN-ther-uh ON-see-uh
A pale, spotted cat with a long tail that lives in high mountains.
- 🏃 speed: not yet checked
- ⚖️ 77 to 99 lb35 to 45 kg1
- 📏 5.9 to 7.5 ft1.8 to 2.3 m1 long
- 🎂 21 years21 years1
- 🍽️ meat
- Needs help (Vulnerable)
A snow leopard is a pale, spotted big cat with a very long, thick tail. It lives high in the cold mountains of Asia. It eats blue sheep.
Snow leopards live high in the cold mountains of Asia, among rock and snow. They have pale, spotted fur and a very long tail. Their main food is blue sheep. They are hard to see, so scientists know less about them than about many other big cats.
The snow leopard lives high in the mountains of Asia, in a huge range of cold, rocky places, from the lower slopes up to very high ground. Its fur is pale with dark spots, and its tail is almost as long as its body. Its main food is blue sheep. Snow leopards are very hard to study in the wild, so little is known about how long they live there.
How big is a snow leopard?
Snow leopard in numbers
| Length | 5.9 to 7.5 ft1.8 to 2.3 m1head and body plus tail, added |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | no checked number yet |
| Weight | 77 to 99 lb35 to 45 kg1average adult |
| Top speed | no checked number yet |
| How long it lives | 21 years21 years1up to; in human care |
| What it eats | blue sheep and other animals of the mountains |
| Where it lives | high, cold mountains in Asia, from the forest edge up to bare rock |
| What kind | Mammals |
| Is it in danger? | Needs help (Vulnerable)2 |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- A snow leopard has a tail almost as long as its body.
- It lives high in the cold mountains of Asia.
- It is so hard to see that scientists know little about it.
Compare the snow leopard
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Gray wolfThree questions
Books about the snow leopard, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the snow leopard for free.
For teachers
Use this animal in class: its facts are on this page, and the cards print from it.
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Uncia uncia (snow leopard), checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, Snow leopard (Q30197), checked 30 October 2026.