Snow Leopard Eyes

Snow Leopard

I wish that I could say that this was taken on location in the mountains and that I spent weeks trekking just to get this photo, however I cannot!

The Picture was taken at the Wildlife Heritage Foundation in Kent, they run breeding programs for rare cats and unfortunately are not open to the public.

Snow leopards are smaller than the other big cats but like them, exhibit a range of sizes, generally weighing between 27 and 54 kg (60–120 lb). Body length ranges from 74–130 cm with a tail of nearly the same length.
Snow leopards show several adaptations for living in a cold mountainous environment. Their bodies are stocky, their fur is thick, and their ears are small and rounded, all of which help to minimise heat-loss. Their feet are wide, which distributes their weight better for walking on snow, and they have fur on their undersides to increase their traction on steep and unstable surfaces, as well as to assist with minimising heat-loss. Snow leopards' tails are long and flexible which help them to maintain their balance. The tails are also especially thickly covered with fur which, apart from minimising heat-loss, allows them to be used like a blanket to protect their faces when asleep.