Snow Leopard Snow leopards are big cats. They are endangered animals. This means they are in danger of dying out. They live in the mountains of central Asia. Their mountain homes are very cold. Some of the countries where they live are Mongolia, China, and India. Snow leopards are not often seen by people. That makes it hard to know exactly how many of them are left. About 600 of them live in zoos around the world. It is thought that there are less than 6,000 of them still living in the wild, but there may be only half that many. Adult snow leopards weigh between 60 and 120 pounds. They are about two feet tall at the shoulder. From head to tail, they are from six to seven and a half feet long. They have long tails that help them balance. When resting, they wrap their tails around their bodies like a scarf to keep warm in the freezing temperatures. A snow leopard's beautiful spotted fur is thick and warm. Fur on the belly may be five inches long. Snow leopards have large, furry paws. The fur on their paws keeps their feet warm. It also helps them walk better on snow and ice. Their thick fur helps them live in the harsh, cold environment of the high mountains. Snow leopards are carnivores and predators. They kill and eat other animals for food. They often hunt at dawn and dusk. They eat ibex, a kind of wild goat. They eat smaller animals like birds, hares, and pikas. A pika is a small animal related to a rabbit. These leopards are members of the cat family, like lions, but they do not roar. They growl, meow, hiss, and mew. Males are bigger than females. Most snow leopards live alone. Mother leopards give birth to one, two, or three babies in a litter. Mothers and their cubs live together until the cubs are from eighteen months or about two years old. Then each goes his own solitary way in the wild. Snow leopards are called "ghosts of the mountains." Even people living in these remote mountains almost never see the beautiful but mysterious big cats.