Snow leopards live higher up than almost any other big cat - sometimes more than 5,000 metres above sea level. That is so high that the air has only half the oxygen we breathe lower down. Snow leopards have extra-large lungs to help them run and jump in the thin air.
Their long, thick fur is a soft grey colour with black rosettes (spots shaped like flower petals). It blends perfectly into rocks and snow, so a snow leopard sitting still is almost invisible. Their tails are extra long - up to a metre - which they wrap around themselves like a scarf when they sleep.
Snow leopards are amazing jumpers. They can leap up to 15 metres in a single bound - that is the length of a school bus. They use their huge tails like a tightrope walker uses a pole, to balance as they land on the steep mountainsides.
Snow leopards are very gentle by nature. They never roar (their throats are not built for it - they chuff instead, which is a sort of friendly puff). Sadly there are only about 4,000 to 6,500 left in the world. Many countries, including Uzbekistan, are working hard to keep them safe.