Snow leopards live high in the mountains of Central Asia. In the high mountains, they are usually found at 3,000 metres or more above sea level. They keep mainly to cliffs and rocky slopes. Snow leopards are shy and hard to find.
A snow leopard's body, not counting the tail, is about one metre long, and its very long tail is up to about one metre. Adult snow leopards weigh from about 25 to 75 kilograms. A snow leopard has thick fur that keeps it warm. It has grey-white fur with dark spots.
Snow leopards are most active at dawn and dusk. A snow leopard hunts by creeping up on its prey and then ambushing it. It can take prey that is two to three times its own weight. As of November 2026, a snow leopard can travel more than 25 miles in a single night.
Blue sheep and ibex are the main food of snow leopards. A snow leopard can leap as far as six times its body length. It also eats smaller animals, such as marmots and birds.
Snow leopards mostly live alone. They leave scent marks along their travel routes that other snow leopards will find. Snow leopards do not roar. They make a friendly chuff and can purr.
Snow leopards mate in the first months of the year, between January and mid-March. A mother snow leopard is pregnant for about three months. She has her cubs in a sheltered rocky den. She usually has two or three cubs in a litter.
A cub's eyes open when it is about seven days old. A snow leopard cub is ready to eat solid food at two months old. At three months old, cubs begin to follow their mother and learn to hunt. Cubs leave their mother when they are 18 to 22 months old.
Words to know
- prey: hunted animals
- ambushing: surprising prey
- ibex: food animal
- litter: cubs born together
- den: a rocky home
- chuff: a friendly sound
The short version
Snow leopards live high in the mountains of Central Asia, usually at 3,000 metres or more above sea level. They keep mainly to cliffs and rocky slopes. Blue sheep and ibex are the main food of snow leopards, and the cats mostly live alone.
Quick facts
- Snow leopards are shy and hard to find.
- A snow leopard's body, not counting the tail, is about one metre long.
- Adult snow leopards weigh from about 25 to 75 kilograms.
- A mother snow leopard usually has two or three cubs in a litter.
- Snow leopard cubs leave their mother when they are 18 to 22 months old.
What do snow leopards eat?
Blue sheep and ibex are the main food of snow leopards. A snow leopard hunts by creeping up on its prey and then ambushing it.
How do snow leopard cubs grow up?
A snow leopard cub's eyes open when it is about seven days old. It is ready to eat solid food at two months old. At three months old, cubs begin to follow their mother and learn to hunt, and they leave their mother when they are 18 to 22 months old.
