Animals and Insects

How Harsh Habitats Shaped Snow Leopards' Genes

New testing on wild snow leopards shows the population is actually divided into three subspecies.

How Harsh Habitats Shaped Snow Leopards' Genes
Snow Leopard Conservancy
SMS

For the first time, scientists peered into the genetics of all wild snow leopards and found there's more to these "ghost cats" than meets the eye: Instead of just one species, there could actually be three distinct subspecies.

The scientists examined snow leopard droppings — a much easier technique than tagging them with GPS or radio collars. They found leopards were in three genetic groups across their range: one in the north, one in the central patch and one in the west.

The species lives across 12 countries in Asia, mostly in arid mountain climates above 9,000 feet. Researchers think natural barriers, like the Gobi Desert and the tall mountains of the trans-Himalaya range, separate the populations into groups.

Climate Change Threatens Snow Leopards Even More Than Humans
Climate Change Threatens Snow Leopards Even More Than Humans

Climate Change Threatens Snow Leopards Even More Than Humans

If the warming climate isn't checked, it could yank critical living and hunting territory out from under the planet's few remaining snow leopards.

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But a changing climate and interaction with humans are shrinking their territory. Researchers say these new tests will help them see how populations evolved, how they're connected and how to tune conservation efforts for each group of cats.