Large cats live in many parts of the world. The snow leopard lives in the mountains of Asia, especially around the foothills of the Himalayas and Tibet plateau.

Compared to the African leopard, the snow leopard has a more creamy fur, while the African leopard has a more orangy fur. In fact, the snow leopard is more closely related to the tiger than to the leopard. It also has a very bushy tail and very pale-coloured eyes.

Snow leopards live in places which can get very cold. To cope with this they have compact bodies compared with other large cats. They also have very thick fur. They also have small ears, which helps reduce the amount of heat lost where the fur is thin.

Their paws are like natural snow-shoes, being very wide. The undersides also have fur on them (unlike the pads of other cats) and this helps to give better grip on icy surfaces. The fur on their pads also helps to protect them from the cold.