Wildlife of the World
Puzzle 72 · Deserts and High Plateaus · Page 109 in print
Himalayan Snow Leopard
Snow leopards live among the steep, rocky mountains of Central Asia. Their long tails help them balance, while thick fur and broad, furry feet protect them in cold conditions.
Jump to a word
A snow leopard blends into a rocky slope in Ladakh.
Species reference for Himalayan Snow Leopard. The photograph does not necessarily show the population or place named in the puzzle.
(c) Sheelagh Halsey, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original recordImage changes
Resized and converted to JPEG for display; no subject alteration.
A snow-leopard paw print recorded in snow in Mongolia.
A field record of a snow-leopard paw print, photographed in Mongolia.
(c) Sara Navarro, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original recordImage changes
Resized and converted to JPEG for display; no subject alteration.
The words
Argali
Argali, wild sheep it hunts.
Argali are among the snow leopard's main prey.
Bharal
Bharal (blue sheep) are among the snow leopard's preferred prey.
Felid
A member of the cat family.
Snow leopards are felids with very large paws.
Furry Paws
Wide, furry paws give it traction on snow.
Ghost Cat
It has been called the ghost cat of the Himalayas.
Hemis
A 2025 camera-trap study found about two snow leopards per 39 square miles (100 km²) in Hemis National Park, Ladakh, the highest density yet recorded over so large an area.
Himalaya
The snow leopard is called the ghost cat of the Himalayas.
Ladakh
A mountainous region of the Indian Himalaya.
Ladakh is a snow-leopard stronghold, with rugged slopes and high-altitude prey populations.
Markings
Smoky gray and black markings camouflage it in the mountains.
Ounce
An alternative name for the snow leopard.
Pelt
Snow leopard pelts are the main product poachers want.
Purr
Snow leopards do not roar but can purr.
Rocky Slopes
Snow leopards keep mainly to cliffs and rocky slopes.
Snow
Its wide, furry paws grip on snow.
Thick Tail
Its long, thick tail helps it balance.
Sources
- Himalayan Snow Leopard (source capture)Snow Leopard Trust
- Himalayan Snow Leopard (source capture)PLOS ONE (peer-reviewed article, 2025, snow leopards in Ladakh), full text via Europe PMC
- Himalayan Snow Leopard (source capture)Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology
- snowleopardanimals.sandiegozoo.org
- Comprehensive assessment of snow leopard distribution and population in the Indian Trans-Himalaya, Ladakh: Standardizing methods for evidence-based conservationPLOS One