World Snow Leopard Day | Isn’t it embarrassing for such a majestic cat to meow like this?

Let’s first listen to how the “embarrassing” big cat – the snow leopard – calls!

Video source: Beijing Shanshui Nature Conservation Center, provided by the author, unauthorized reproduction

Doesn't it sound a bit out of tune with the majestic image of the snow leopard? As the king of the snowy mountains that roams the top of the snowy mountains, the sound of the snow leopard's roar doesn't quite match its aura as the king of the snowy mountains. Why can't the snow leopard's roar be as fierce as that of the lion, which is also a big cat? Today is the ninth World Snow Leopard Day. Let's learn about this king of the mountains together!

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01

Grumbling Snow Mountain King

The reason why snow leopards, as large cats, cannot use their loud roaring skills is not because they are afraid that their voices will be too loud and cause an avalanche in the snow-capped mountains, but because their epihyoid bones are highly ossified and their vocal cords are similar to those of small cats, so they cannot roar like large cats such as lions, tigers, and leopards.

Snow leopards can also make long grunting sounds to their companions, and can make purring sounds like a kitten when inhaling and exhaling.

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The reason why large cats such as lions, tigers, and leopards can roar is that their upper hyoid bones are replaced by elastic ligaments , and their vocal cords are large, thick, and elastic. Their larynx is elongated, and their pharynx and mouth are bell-shaped. The low-frequency sound produced by the vibration of the vocal cords is further amplified, becoming a loud low-frequency sound, commonly known as a roar or a roar.

However, although the snow leopard's voice is not "in line" with its status, its purring sound leaves people with the impression of a cute and adorable animal.

This cry and this face don't seem so ferocious all of a sudden... Copyrighted pictures from the gallery, no permission to reprint

02

Road to the Throne

As the king of the snow mountains, the snow leopard's whereabouts are very secretive. Some snow leopard researchers have studied snow leopards for many years, but have never actually seen a snow leopard in the wild...

"I tried my best not to laugh", copyrighted image, unauthorized reproduction

Even more secretive than the snow leopard, however, is the snow leopard’s fossil record.

Czech Republic, Austria, Russia, and even Zhoukoudian, China have claimed to have found snow leopard fossils, but they were ultimately misidentified. There are only two reliable fossil records: one is in a cave in the Altai Mountains, and the other is a mandible fossil found in the Upper Siwalik Mountains in Pakistan.

With the discovery of an almost complete skull of a big cat in the Zanda Basin of Tibet, people have finally uncovered the origin of the king of the snow mountains. The skull was formed 4.4 million years ago and is the earliest fossil with certain snow leopard characteristics to date, but it is about 10% smaller than the existing snow leopard. Scientists call it Panthera blytheae, the fossil species most closely related to the snow leopard.

Skull of Panthera blytheae. Image credit: J. Tseng

Existing evidence suggests that all Pantherinae species originated in Central or North Asia. Clouded leopards appeared in Southeast Asia during the Pleistocene, followed by the tiger-snow leopard branch, while lions, leopards, and jaguars gradually appeared and spread in the late Pleistocene. Although the snow leopard has the word "leopard" in its name, the closest living big cat to it is the tiger.

There is no definitive answer to when tigers and snow leopards began to part ways. What is certain is that their divergence was the earliest among the large cats. Eventually, the snow leopard became the king of the snow mountains, the tiger became the king of the jungle, and the Bryon Panthera pardus, the closest relative to the snow leopard, disappeared in the long river of history.

Reconstruction of the Blytheae leopard (Panthera blytheae). Image credit: Mauricio Antón

03

Snow Leopard's Secret Weapon

Perhaps to reduce the pressure of competition for food, snow leopards have found a new way to avoid mountains, forests and grasslands and climb the many plateaus and snow-capped mountains in Central Asia and western China. In order to cope with the cold and oxygen-deficient environment and survive and hunt in the steep mountains, snow leopards have evolved many "secret weapons".

Secret weapon 1: Short and wide skull

Compared to other big cats, the snow leopard has a broad and short skull , especially a prominent arch in the postorbital process, and a wide nasal bone. This allows the snow leopard to have a larger nasal cavity, which can efficiently heat and humidify the cold, dry air . The snow leopard also has large nostrils (larger than the length of its skull and the width of its upper jaw), which allows it to inhale more gas with each breath and obtain more oxygen in the thin air.

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Secret weapon 2: A big mouth of a "snow" basin

The cross-section of the snow leopard's canine teeth is round, so it can exert force on the prey in its mouth from all directions, which is very suitable for the various and uncertain attack angles between cliffs. In addition, the snow leopard's mouth can open to more than 70 degrees , which is convenient for biting the thick neck of large prey.

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Secret weapon three: dense hair

Among Panthera species, snow leopards have the densest fur, with an average of 4,000 hairs per square centimeter of skin . They also have the longest fur, with the length of the hair on their belly reaching 12 centimeters in winter. The thick and long hair can form an air layer near the snow leopard's skin, effectively isolating the cold from the outside world and preventing heat loss. Of course, snow leopards shed their fur twice a year according to the season, and in some parts such as the trunk and abdomen, the winter fur is sometimes twice as long as the summer fur.

Image source: snowleopard.org, Photographer: Alexander Oehrle

Secret weapon 4: Real leopard print

The smoky gray leopard pattern of the snow leopard is very similar to the appearance of bare rocks. When they hide in the cracks of rocks or lie on the rocks, they are difficult to be discovered by prey or other animals (including researchers). This makes the snow leopard a powerful ambush hunter. The combination of spots on the snow leopard is as unique as human fingerprints . Researchers use the patterns captured by infrared cameras to identify individual snow leopards.

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Secret weapon 5: wide soles

Snow leopards have wide paws and thick fur between their toes, which makes them look like they are wearing snow boots, which not only keep them warm but also allow them to walk lightly through the snow without sinking too deep.

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Secret weapon six: thick and long tail

The snow leopard's tail is about 75%-90% of its body length. The long tail helps the snow leopard keep its balance when running and jumping between rocks, especially when it is chasing prey quickly. The tail also acts like a large scarf to keep the snow leopard's paws and head warm when it rests.

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The above-mentioned "secret weapons" make the snow leopard the irreplaceable king in the plateaus and snow-capped mountains.

04

Guardian of the Snow Mountain King

It is estimated that about 60% of snow leopards live in China, and more than half of the world's snow leopard population lives in the same land as us.

In recent years, all sectors of society have begun to participate in snow leopard surveys and protection. The government has established a protected area with the snow leopard as the flagship species, front-line rangers have been walking in the mountains, herders have volunteered to join the snow leopard survey and patrol team, scientific research institutes have actively promoted surveys and research, and NGOs have coordinated local work to explore strategies to deal with threats.

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Snow leopards are the best-preserved of China's big cats, but they still face many threats, including habitat fragmentation , human-animal conflict , poaching , climate change , insufficient basic information , and a lack of protection and researchers , which still threaten the long-term survival of snow leopards.

Snow leopard protection is not only about the "king" itself, but also about the many "subjects" of the king and the billions of people who rely on Asia's water sources. The king of the snow mountains deserves more people's understanding and care.

References:

[1] Kitchener, AC, Driscoll, CA, & Yamaguchi, N. (2016). What is a Snow Leopard? Taxonomy, Morphology, and Phylogeny. In Snow Leopards. Elsevier Inc.

[2] Z. Jack Tseng, Xiaoming Wang, Graham J. Slater, Gary T. Takeuchi, Qiang Li, Juan Liu and Guangpu Xie (2014). Himalayan fossils of the oldest known pantherine establish ancient origin of big cats. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 281(1774), 20132686. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2013.2686

[3] Rieger, I., 1984. Tail functions in ounces, Uncia uncia. Blomqvist, L. (ed.), International Pedigree Book of Snow Leopards, Panthera uncia, 4, Helsinki Zoo, Helsinki, pp. 85–97.

[4] Torregrosa, V., Petrucci, M., Pérez-Claros, JA, Palmqvist, P., 2010. Nasal aperture area and body mass in felids: ecophysiological implications and paleobiological inferences. geobios 43 (6), 653–661.

Author: Yu Yang PhD candidate in Science Communication at the University of Otago, New Zealand

Liu Yanlin, PhD in Zoology, Peking University, Member of the IUCN Cat Specialist Group

Review | Huang Chengming, Researcher at the Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

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Audio and video from Beijing Shanshui Nature Conservation Center

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