Ever tried spotting a snow leopard in the wild? It's called the 'ghost of the mountains' for a reason—you're more likely to see its pawprints than the big cat itself. It is sturdy and short-legged compared to other big cats, standing over 55 centimetres at the shoulder and measuring 75 to 150 centimetres from head to body.

Snow leopards roam high-altitude ranges across 12 Asian countries, from Afghanistan to China. Their thick coats and long tails are built for survival in freezing, rocky terrain. Yet even these stealthy cats can't hide from threats like poaching, shrinking habitats and climate change. With fewer than 7,000 left in the wild, conservation is a necessity. The image of a snow leopard mother sheltering her cubs in the rocky cliffs of the Cold Desert Biosphere Reserve in India illustrates what's at stake.