The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) lives in some of the harshest conditions on Earth, inhabiting the alpine and subalpine zones of Central and South Asian mountain ranges – from eastern Afghanistan, the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau to southern Siberia, Mongolia and western China. Its thick white-grey coat, spotted with large black rosettes, blends in perfectly with Asia’s steep and rocky, high mountains and the soft, dense fur keeps it warm in the bitter cold. It is so camouflaged that the snow leopard is known as the ghost of the mountains. Uncia, is derived from the Old French word once, which was originally used for the European lynx. The snow leopard is still occasionally called ounce.
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