Snow Leopard

The Snow Leopard is a carnivore Treasure guardian in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties and a hostile wild animal in Return of Rome and Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition.

Age of Empires

Snow Leopard
Animal
Introduced in	Age of Empires: Return of Rome
Hit points	20
Melee attack	3
Maximum food	100
Recommended no. of gatherers	2-3

Snow Leopards were introduced once Age of Empires game mode was launched in Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition - Return of Rome.

Age of Empires II

Snow Leopard
Animal
Introduced in	Age of Empires II: Definitive Edition
Hit points	25
Melee attack	3
Rate of Fire	2
Armor class	Predator Animals
Speed	Walking: 0.7 Running: 1.05
Line of Sight	12
Maximum food	0
Recommended no. of gatherers	2-3 (only to kill)

The Snow Leopard was introduced in the Definitive Edition, and is one of several hostile animals that the player may encounter in unexplored areas. Like the Wolf, it has 25 HP, 3 attack, holds no food, and attacks Villagers and even some military units on sight. As it will most likely prevail against Villagers that do not have the Loom upgrade, it is recommended to research it before sending them in unexplored areas. Snow Leopards appear in some winter- and mountain-themed random maps, for example Mongolia.

Trivia

• Snows Leopards (Panthera Uncia) have symbolic meaning for Turkic peoples of Central Asia, where the animal is known as irbis or bars, so it is widely used in heraldry and as an emblem.
• Despite being shown as hostile animals in the game, in reality, snow leopards appear to be the least aggressive of the big cats to humans. As a result, they are easily driven away from livestock; they readily abandon their kills when threatened, and may not even defend themselves when attacked.

Gallery

Two Snow Leopards

Age of Empires III

Snow Leopard
Unit information
Introduced in	Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties
Type	Treasure guardian
Statistics
Hit points	175
Speed	7
Line of Sight	9
XP bounty	12
Melee damage
Attack	10

The Snow Leopard is a Treasure guardian in Age of Empires III: The Asian Dynasties. It is a big and fairly powerful feline predator, but not quite as powerful as its big cousins the Lion and Tiger. Two Monks or one Explorer are enough to eliminate them but they can cause great damage to units.

They are found in Himalayas, Mongolia, and the mountainous variant of the Silk Road. Unlike other Treasure guardians, there is no pet version of the Snow Leopard and they can only be tamed by War Chiefs.

Trivia

• The history's claim of the Snow Leopard's relationship with other cats is false. In reality, its closest living relative is the tiger, and it is considered a big cat like lions and jaguars, while the cheetah is a closer relative to cougars and domestic cats than snow leopards.

History

“	Scientific Name: Uncia uncia/Panthera uncial Approx. Size: 7 ft. long, 165 lb. Diet: Ibex, bharal, markhor, urial, boars, marmots, hares, game birds, small rodents Despite the name, the snow leopard is actually more closely related to the cheetah, sharing the latter's round skull, long legs, and large, counter-balancing tail. Recognizable by its beautiful dusty gray coat that turns white in winter, the snow leopard is in fact an intermediate between the "big cats" and smaller species. Its lack of a cartilaginous hyoid apparatus proves this, as it prevents the snow leopard from being able to roar, a defining trait of lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars. The snow leopard lives in the mountainous regions of Asia, in Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, and Russia, as well as in other nations. During the summer, the snow leopard lives above the tree line at altitudes up to an astonishing 18,000 feet. Its long tail helps to stabilize its movement along rugged and rocky mountain terrain. When winter begins, the leopard descends to an altitude of about 2,000 feet to hunt for prey in the snow-draped forests. The leopard's large paws act like snowshoes on the fallen snow, displacing the weight and allowing the cat to move quickly through the trees. It can also use its tail as a covering with which it can warm its face or paws.	”
—In-game history section

Gallery

An in-game Snow Leopard

Three Snow Leopards guarding Treasure in Mongolia

The Snow Leopard's history portrait

Snow Leopard image from the Compendium section

Two Snow Leopards guarding Treasure in Honshu, in the Definitive Edition