Snow Leopard
International Snow Leopard Day is today! Snow leopards live in mountain ranges in South Asia and Central Asia. Fewer than 10,000 snow leopards exist today, and that number is estimated to decline in the coming years. Listed as Vulnerable by the IUCN Red List, snow leopards have been killed by poaching. They have also seen their habitats declining. Smaller than other cats, snow leopards cannot roar. They are carnivores, preying on both wild and domesticated animals. They have adapted to mountainous, cold, and snowy conditions. They have thick fur; and their paws are large and covered with fur on the underside to traverse icy conditions. Interesting fact: their tails are unusually long and provide fat storage. The tail also has very long fur so that the tail can act as a blanket for the snow leopard’s face while the animal sleeps.
Gertrude Caroline Ederle (born New York, New York, 1906; died Wyckoff, New Jersey, November 30, 2003) was a swimmer. At one point she held 29 national and world records. She won a gold medal and two bronze medals in the 1924 Olympics. In 1926 she became the first woman to successfully swim the English Channel. Although the channel is 21 miles wide, a storm actually forced her to swim 35 miles. She returned to New York to a ticker tape parade.