New Delhi, May 9 -- The Union Territory of Ladakh is home to the highest recorded density of snow leopards in the world, with nearly 68 per cent of India's population of the elusive big cat found in the Union Territory, according to a new study.

The peer-reviewed study, published in the journal PLOS ONE, estimated India's snow leopard (Panthera uncia) population at 709 individuals, of which 477 were found in Ladakh.

Snow leopards, restricted to mountainous terrains in 12 countries across South and Central Asia, occupied a range of 47,572 km in Ladakh alone. Globally, snow leopard populations range from 0.92 to 1.8 animals per 100 km, the study found. Previously, the highest snow leopard densities globally ranged from 1.06 to 1.84 indi...