Snow Leopards.
The snow leopard, to me is one of the most beautiful endangered species. They are moderately large cats, native to the mountain ranges of Central Asia. They have a soft grey coat, white on belly. Head and limbs are marked with solid black or brown spots; body is covered with brown blotches ringed with black, and a black streak runs down the back. Tail is heavy with fur and the bottom of the paws are covered with fur - for protection against snow and cold. The winter coat is lighter in color.Their head and body length is 47-59 inches, while the tail is 31-39 inches long. Snow leopards live in mountain steppes and Coniferous forests in high altitudes. They prefer living in mountain regions in winter, and in summer, move to rocky regions and meadows. They are not very social, and only come together for breeding, which they do every January to May. Cubs are very independent from the beginning, dependent on their mother only for food, and remain with their mother for their first winter. They main reason that snow leopards are endangered are because of the extremely high demand for their fur, and also of food, and habitat. People are trying to help them by habitat protection, captive breeding, and penalties for poachers and buyers of Illegal fur.