Category
🐳
AnimalsTranscript
00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 Snow leopards are one of the world's most elusive cats.
00:05 Nicknamed ghosts of the mountains,
00:08 they live in the world's highest ranges
00:11 and are one of the least understood felines.
00:14 Snow leopards inhabit the highest altitude
00:19 documented of any cat.
00:21 Their habitat includes the highest mountain ranges
00:25 across Central Asia with altitudes up to 20,000 feet.
00:30 Snow leopards have adapted to thrive
00:32 in these extremely high elevations
00:35 where the air has low levels of oxygen.
00:37 They've developed wide nasal passages
00:41 and large chest cavities that increase the volume
00:44 of air breathed in.
00:47 And they have smaller and more numerous red blood cells
00:50 than typical cats,
00:51 maximizing the amount of oxygen absorbed by the body.
00:57 Snow leopards can endure temperatures
00:59 as low as negative 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
01:02 To keep warm in this inhospitable climate,
01:07 snow leopards have the densest fur of all cats
01:10 with nearly 26,000 hairs per square inch.
01:14 A human only has about 1,300 per square inch.
01:20 Snow leopards also have giant paws that act as snowshoes,
01:25 distributing their weight so they can walk on top of snow
01:28 instead of sinking in.
01:30 To stay warm while they rest,
01:33 snow leopards wrap their furry tails
01:35 around their bodies like a blanket.
01:37 Snow leopard tails are balancing tools.
01:43 The snow leopard tail is one of the thickest
01:46 and longest tails of all big cats.
01:48 It can grow up to 90% as long as their bodies.
01:53 The long tail acts as a counterweight,
01:55 similar to a tightrope walker's balancing bar.
01:58 This helps snow leopards to hunt agile wild sheep and goats
02:04 in steep, rugged environments.
02:06 It helps them balance and quickly pivot
02:10 as they chase nimble prey.
02:12 Snow leopards can leap farther than any other animal.
02:20 Snow leopards can grow to seven feet long,
02:24 including their tail.
02:25 Thanks to strong legs,
02:28 they can leap distances up to 50 feet.
02:31 That's seven times their own length.
02:34 Snow leopards' front legs are shorter than their hind legs,
02:40 helpful for quick starts and rapid speeds.
02:43 Their broad muscular chests are like shock absorbers,
02:46 dampening the impact of nearly vertical hunts.
02:52 Snow leopards are vulnerable to extinction.
02:55 By some estimates,
02:58 there could be fewer than 8,000 wild snow leopards.
03:03 Climate change might impact their habitat,
03:05 reducing the big cat's range and food sources.
03:08 Increased ranching and herding
03:11 has caused the decline in wild prey,
03:13 and conflict between snow leopards and humans has developed.
03:17 When wild prey is scarce,
03:19 snow leopards prey on domestic livestock.
03:22 This causes herders to lose income,
03:25 and some then kill the cats in retaliation.
03:28 Community-based conservation efforts
03:32 have focused on reducing this conflict.
03:35 Creating greater understanding
03:36 and protection of these mountain ghosts
03:38 is needed to prevent them from disappearing entirely.
03:42 (dramatic music)
03:45 (wind whooshing)
03:47 (upbeat music)
03:50 (upbeat music)
03:52 (upbeat music)
03:55 (upbeat music)
03:58 (upbeat music)
04:00 (upbeat music)
04:03 [MUSIC PLAYING]