Why do the mysterious snow leopards survive in the cold mountains？ It turns out that every physical feature of the “King of the Snowy Mountains” helps them with the cold.

Listed as a vulnerable species， there are about 4，500 snow leopards in China， making up more than half the species’ global population.

Their short ears reduce heat loss. A shallow nasal cavity warms the air before it reaches the cat’s lungs. Their jaws can open wider than 70 degrees， making it easier for them to eat larger prey， including bharal and white-lipped deer. Their long， thick tail is roughly the same length as its body. The tail can also act as a blanket or scarf， covering the animal’s mouth and nose when it lies down. Snow leopard fur is 20 times denser than human hair.

China is home to the animal’s key habitat， which comprises about 1.1 million square kilometers. The snow leopard’s natural habitat is in the mountains， at altitudes between 2，000 meters and 5，000 meters. Snow leopards are regarded as barometers of high mountain ecosystems. When the population declines， it likely indicates that the local ecosystem is under pressure or being damaged.

The snow leopard’s core distribution areas still retain their natural state to a high degree， thanks to shelter provided by national parks and nature reserves， according to the National Forestry and Grassland Administration.

Meanwhile， snow leopards continue to face threats to their survival because of problems resulting from human activities persisting on the edges of their distribution areas， leading to declines in prey populations and reducing the number of snow leopards.

神秘的雪豹為何能在寒冷的高山上生存？原來(lái)“雪山之王”的每個(gè)身體特征都能成為它們的“護(hù)身符”。

作為易危物種，雪豹在中國(guó)的數(shù)量大約有4 500只，約占全球總數(shù)的一半以上。

它們短小的耳朵能減少熱量的散失，較淺的鼻腔空間可在空氣到達(dá)肺部之前將其加熱。能夠張開(kāi)超過(guò)70度的嘴使它們可以輕松吃下巖羊和白唇鹿等體型較大的獵物。它們有長(zhǎng)而濃密的尾巴，長(zhǎng)度和身體相當(dāng)。雪豹的尾巴還可以充當(dāng)毯子或圍巾，在它們躺下時(shí)覆蓋住口鼻。雪豹皮毛的密集程度是人類毛發(fā)的20倍。

中國(guó)是雪豹的主要棲息地，它們活動(dòng)的區(qū)域占地約110萬(wàn)平方千米。雪豹的自然棲息地為海拔2 000至

5 000米的山區(qū)。雪豹被視為高山生態(tài)系統(tǒng)的晴雨表。當(dāng)它們的種群數(shù)量下降，就意味著當(dāng)?shù)厣鷳B(tài)系統(tǒng)可能正面臨壓力或遭受破壞。

國(guó)家林業(yè)和草原局表示，得益于國(guó)家公園和自然保護(hù)區(qū)的庇護(hù)，雪豹的核心分布區(qū)仍保持著較高程度的自然狀態(tài)。

與此同時(shí)，雪豹的生存仍然面臨著威脅，因?yàn)槠浞植紖^(qū)的邊界依然受人為因素干擾，所以導(dǎo)致獵物和雪豹數(shù)量的減少。