Animal
Snow leopard
A cat of the Central Asian mountains that hunts mountain hoofed mammals among other prey.
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The mountains of Central Asia, reaching 6,000 metres above sea level, are home to the snow leopard. This cat, also known as the irbis, belongs to a high-mountain landscape. Its prey includes wild mountain sheep, ibex, musk deer and young yaks. It also eats much smaller animals, such as pheasants and marmots. Its prey therefore varies greatly in size, although mountain hoofed mammals are an important part of its diet.
Pregnancy lasts around 95 days. A litter can contain between one and five cubs, but two or three are most common. The mother nurses them for about five months, and they reach sexual maturity at two or three years of age. Early maternal care and later maturity are separate stages of development. Snow leopards are included in the European EEP breeding programme. At Kraków Zoo they represent mountain cats, with a natural habitat different from the forests inhabited by the Asiatic lion and Amur tiger.
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High in the Asian mountains lives the snow leopard, also called the irbis. It can be found at elevations of 6,000 metres. Mountain sheep, ibex and yaks share its mountain world. These animals, in the case of yaks their young, can become its prey. Snow leopards also eat smaller animals, including marmots and pheasants.
The female carries her young for around 95 days. She usually gives birth to two or three cubs, although a litter can contain between one and five. The cubs drink their mother's milk for about five months and reach maturity at two or three years old. European zoos cooperate in breeding snow leopards through the EEP programme. In Kraków this cat tells a mountain story, while other large cats on the route come from forest regions.
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