Why Do High-Altitude Snow Leopards Breathe Like Pussycats?
How these big cats thrive in low-oxygen mountain habitats is still a mystery, study says.
The snow leopard might rule the high reaches of the Himalaya, but they share some unexpected similarities with the humble house cat, a new study says.
Despite living at elevations of more than 16,400 feet (5,000 meters), these spotted big cats breathe in the same way as other feline species that live at sea level—notably your pet kitty. (See snow leopard pictures in National Geographic magazine.)
Anyone who has ever tried to run even a short distance on a mountain has felt the effects of high elevation. The difficulties people and other animals have breathing isn’t due to lower oxygen, but rather low air pressure at high altitudes. Each breath takes in less oxygen and fewer air molecules overall.
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