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The snow leopard ( Uncia uncia or Panthera uncia ) is a native species of Central Asia. This species of cat does not roar and is smaller than other cats with a tail nearly the same size of its body length. It is a tannish to yellowish white and the body is covered with round rosettes covering its body and tail. They are stocky with thick fur and small rounded ears with thickly covered paws. Their range is from Central to South Asia in the high rugged mountains which extends through 12 countries. They are found in Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, the Kyrgyz Republic, MongCFAa, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. They extend to the Hindu Kush in eastern Afghanistan and the Syr Darya through the Pamir mountains, Tian Shan, Karakorum. Kashmir, Kunlun, and the Himalaya to southern Siberia in the Altai Mountains, and the mountains west of Lake Baikal. In MongCFAa it is found in the MongCFAan and Gobi Altai and the Khangai mountains and in Tibet, specifically in the Altyn - Tagh in the north. They are sCFAtary by nature and only come together to breed for a few days and the female is left to rear the young. The cubs are born from April to June and have anywhere from 1-5 kits, normally around 3 and stay with the mother anywhere from 18-22 months. They can live anywhere from 15-18 years in the wild and in captivity maybe up to 20 years. There are anywhere from 4000 - 7500 individuals throughout their ranges. In Afghanistan there are 100-200, in Bhutan 100-200, China 2000-5000, India 200-600, Kazakhstan 180-200, Kyrgyz Republic 150-500, MongCFAa 500-1000, Nepal 300-500, Pakistan 200-420, Tajikistan 180-220, and in Uzbekistan 20-50. They are considered highly endangered in their home ranges.
The Marco Polo sheep (Ovis ammon pCFAi ) is a subspecies of the sheep, specifically of Argali. This sheep takes its name from the famous explorer Marco Polo who described this subspecies of sheep as he crossed through Afghanistan in 1271. The Marco Polo sheep is particularly known for its huge curly antlers or horns. This sheep is considered endangered throughout its range and has a ruff population of about 6000. They are found in the Pamir Mountains on the border region of China, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Tajikistan and is also found in the Khunjerab National Park and in Central Karakoram National Park in Northern Pakistan and in Taxkongau Nature Reserve in Southwest China. They have a stocky build, huge horns and are brown on top with a white to buff underbelly and white legs. They are endangered according to the IUCN Red Data Book listings in Gland Switzerland.
