What is a snow leopard? Behavior and ecology

Abstract

Due to its elusive nature and remote, rugged habitats, the snow leopard has proven to be an incredibly difficult species to study. Our understanding of snow leopard ecology—its relationship to its environment and other organisms in it—has therefore advanced only slowly and incrementally. Building on the foundation of earlier research, newer technologies have refined and expanded our understanding of snow leopard behavior and ecology, while simultaneously opening new areas of investigation. This chapter covers the fundamentals of what we know about snow leopard biology and ecology, while focusing on advances made over the past two decades and highlighting some of the many knowledge gaps that remain. It is heartening to note that where the new technologies have addressed similar topics, they have for the most part confirmed the results of early studies, although a few important refinements have emerged. Snow leopards are solitary, territorial, crepuscular cats that require large home ranges and therefore persist in relatively low densities. Their physical characteristics, such as their short stocky build and camouflaged coat, are uniquely suited to the rugged, steep mountain habitats they live in. The more recent information we discuss here includes results related to food habits, better density estimates, population characteristics, and ecological interactions. Although they are often the apex predator of the mountain landscapes they inhabit, we still know little about how they affect the ecosystems they live in.

Keywords

Activity; Behavior; Communication; Ecology; Foraging behavior; Habitat; Home range; Reproduction; Snow leopard

Published in

Title: Snow Leopards (Second Edition) : Biodiversity of World: Conservation from Genes to Landscapes
Publisher: Elsevier

SLU Authors

• Johansson, Örjan

  • Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Snow Leopard Trust

UKÄ Subject classification

Ecology

Publication identifier

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-85775-8.00051-0
• ISBN: 9780323984584

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/129493