Snow leopards are felines that will appear in The Lion Guard universe.
Appearance
Snow leopards have whitish to gray fur with black spots on their head and neck, but larger rosettes on the back, flanks and bushy tail. The belly is whitish. The fur is thick with hairs between 5 and 12 cm (2.0 and 4.7 in) long.
Information
Snow leopards live in the mountains of central Asia. They hunt blue sheep, wild sheep, argails, ibexes, marmots, pikas and hares. Snow leopards are vulnerable animals, threatened by humans through poaching and illegal trade of skins and body parts.
Snow leopards feature several distinct adaptations for living in a cold, mountainous environment; they are as follows:
- Their bodies are stocky, with thick fur and their ears are small and rounded. (these features help minimize heat loss)
- Their paws are broad and well distribute their body weight for walking on snow (acting like natural snowshoes) and have fur on their undersides to help increase their grip on steep and unstable surfaces. (they also help minimize heat loss)
- Their tail is long and flexible to help maintain balance on rocky terrain; it is also very thick due to fat storage, and is very thickly covered in fur, thus letting the leopard use it like a blanket to protect its face while it sleeps.
Additionally, unlike other big cats like lions and tigers, snow leopards are incapable of roaring.