Snow leopards are another cat of mystery. They survive in the remote icy mountains of Asia. Thick fur keeps them warm, as do their long thick tails that they can wrap around themselves like scarves. Their extra-large paws act like snowshoes and provide good grip for chasing blue sheep and ibex down treacherous cliffs. The snow leopard wears its smoky gray-brown fur like an invisibility cloak. It can be almost impossible to see, even from fifty yards away.
The stripes of a tiger, spots of a cheetah, and rosettes of a leopard or jaguar conceal their owners so they can catch prey unaware. Lions and pumas have plain coats, but their cubs are born with spots to hide them from predators while they sleep at the den site.
The snow leopard lives high in themountains of central and southAsia, where prey can be sparse.To find enough food, it may need to hunt a home range about five times larger than other big cats that live inwarmer lowlands, where prey is more common.
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