The snow leopard has evolved to survive in the most extreme conditions on Earth. his fur grayish white with large black spots blends perfectly with the texture of the rugged, rocky mountains of Central Asia.
The powerful anatomy of snow leopard This allows you to climb large, steep slopes with ease. Thanks to its hind legs, the snow leopard can jump the equivalent of six times its body length.. Its long tail provides and enables balance and agility snow leopard shelter from the cold at rest.
For thousands of years this beautiful feline was the king of the mountainsin which prey such as blue goats, argali, ibexes, marmots, rock rabbits and hares were in abundance. The snow leopard is currently found in twelve countries, including China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Russia and Mongolia, but the population is rapidly declining..
Research published in ‘Science Advances’
An international team of scientists has identified snow leopard fossils for the first timefrom research published in Scientific progress. The discovery allowed them to trace the evolutionary history of this species during the Quaternary and imagine how it spread from the Tibetan Plateau to the Iberian Peninsula.far from the high and icy mountains of the Himalayas. Research indicates that snow leopards prefer rocky terrain and cold climates rather than high altitudes. These data can help ensure the protection of this emblematic animal.
Snow leopards (Panthera uncia) are critically endangered; There are only about 4,000 copies left
They are medium or large cats that live at high altitudes, over 2,000 meters, mainly in the Himalayas. Although its distinguishing features have been known for a long time, The correlation between these traits and their adaptation to the environment of the Tibetan Plateau, as well as their evolutionary history, remained largely unexplored due to the complete absence of fossil records in Tibet and surrounding regions.. Until now, untested remains may have been located in northern China and Europe, but their validation and phylogenetic position were uncertain.
In the now published study, the researchers assessed a large portion of the remains assigned to the common leopard (Panthera pardus) that are known in Europe and Asia and Five snow leopard fossils have been identified for the first time. The data from China, France and Portugal date back a million years, allowing them to trace the species’ evolution and ecological adaptation during the Quaternary, and model its possible geographic and temporal distribution. The research has integrated morphometric and phylogenetic analyzes and mathematical models of species distribution.
Work highlights unique traits that distinguish snow leopards from their more common relatives, the leopards
While common leopards are adapted to hunting fast and agile prey in partially forested habitats, Snow leopards have developed distinctive features that allow them to dominate rugged mountain landscapes.. These adjustments They include larger teeth, domed skulls and stronger jaws and legs, ideal for hunting robust, muscular prey such as mountain goats..
However, their survival in rocky, desolate terrain also depended on other important adaptations. Enhanced binocular vision, a large ectotympanic skull structure for better hearing, powerful limbs that can withstand the impact of steep jumps, and a long tail for balance They developed rapidly during the Quaternary, especially from the Middle Pleistocene, about half a million years ago.
These important adjustments coincided with the coldest phases in recent times ice ageswhere the snow leopards They expanded beyond the Himalayas into central China and, surprisingly, the research team notes, spread westward to the Iberian Peninsula. In Portugal, caving enthusiasts discovered a remarkable fossil in Porto de Mós in 2000: a partial leopard skeleton with an almost perfectly preserved skull, known as the “Algar da Manga Larga leopard”. This fossil has now been revealed as an unexpected member of the evolutionary lineage of snow leopards in Western Europe.
The snow leopard has always been adapted to live in the mountains
“We propose that about 900,000 years ago the gradual intensification of the glaciations in Eurasia led to the gradual appearance of more open spaces, and this would have allowed the arrival of this species in Portugal, where it existed until relatively recently, about 40,000 years ago, lived,” says Joan Madurell Malapeira, a researcher in the Department of Geology.
The discovery of fossils in Portugal has significant implications for snow leopard conservation. The study suggests they favor steep, rocky terrain and cold climates over high altitudes, challenging traditional assumptions about their habitat preferences.
“Our analyzes lead us to the conclusion that this is certainly the case high altitude and snow would not have been the limiting factors for the species’ distributionbut the presence of open and steep spaces. That is to say, that The snow leopard has always been adapted to live in the mountainsbut not necessarily at high altitude and with snow. And this, in a context of climate change such as the current one, is hopeful to be able to guarantee its survival,” emphasizes Joan Madurell Malapeira.
Future research will investigate the neuroanatomy and ecology of the Algar da Manga Larga leopard and potentially shed more light on the fascinating history of this iconic mountain predator..
Reference article:
Qigao Jiangzuo, Joan Madurell-Malapeira, Xinhai Li, Darío Estraviz-López, Octávio Mateus, Agnès Testu, Shijie Li, Shiqi Wang, Tao Deng. “Insights into the evolution and adaptation to high and cold environments in the snow leopard lineage”. Scientific progress (January 2025). https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adp5243