Snow leopards live high in the mountains of Central Asia. They live in twelve countries in the mountains of Asia. They keep mainly to cliffs and rocky slopes. Snow leopards are shy and hard to find. They mostly live alone. They are most active at dawn and dusk.

A snow leopard's body, not counting the tail, is about one metre long. Grown snow leopards weigh from about 25 to 75 kilograms. A snow leopard has wide, furry paws that work like snow shoes. Its tail helps it keep its balance.

A snow leopard stalks its prey and then springs on it. It can leap as far as six times its body length. Blue sheep and ibex are the main food of snow leopards. They also eat smaller animals, such as marmots and birds. A snow leopard eats slowly and stays with its food for several days.

A mother snow leopard has her cubs in a rocky den, usually two or three in a litter. A 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

• kilograms: a weight
• marmots: small animals
• prey: hunted animals
• stalks: sneaks up on
• litter: cubs born together