Made with Xara Web Designer If you are interested in acquiring this painting or would like further information please contact me The Snow Leopard, like the clouded leopard, is one of those cats that is somewhere between the small cats and the great cats in that it does not purr like the small cats and it cannot roar like Tigers and Lions. Its greatest threats are the hunting of its main prey species in the mountains, leaving the Snow Leopard with out a means of sustaining itself. The Snow Leopard is unique among felines for the truly beautiful smoke-grey colouring of its coat with a pattern of dark rosettes and spots, and because of that it became nearly extinct. It’s unique colour makes an ideal camouflage in its mountain environment of bare rocks and snow. Adaptations for their environment include long hair with a dense, woolly undercoat, and a tail over 3 feet long. They use their tails like a scarf in the winter, wrapping it around themselves when lying or sitting for added warmth. The snow leopard ranges includes alpine meadows, treeless rocky mountains and rhododendron forests. Most of their range occurs in Tibet and other parts of the Himalayas, Mountains of Central Asia, and the Mountains of Southwest China. Snow leopards typically inhabit rugged terrain such as steep slopes with bluffs, ridges broken by outcrops, and valleys interrupted by cliffs, with arid and semi-arid shrub land, grassland, open grassy plains. It is generally found at elevations between 9800 - 14,800 feet, although occasionally goes above 18,000 ft.  Distant Movement Link to Us Privacy Photo Gallery Guestbook 12"x18” -  30x46cm Acrylic on Canvas All content and artwork copyright to Stephen Gayford and may not be reproduced without permission © 2007 - 2011