Exceedingly low genetic diversity in snow leopards due to persistently small population size

Snow leopard numbers are believed to be in decline due to numerous anthropogenic threats; however, their conservation is hindered by multiple knowledge gaps. In particular, the dearth of genetic data, unique among all big cat species, hinders a full understanding of their population structure, historical population size, and current levels of genetic diversity. Through an international effort, we have generated whole-genome sequencing data for 37 snow leopards, increasing the number of snow leopards sequenced by an order of magnitude. We have used these data to show that snow leopards have the lowest genetic diversity of any big cat species, even the cheetah. We do not see evidence of high levels of inbreeding or genetic load in snow leopards compared to other Panthera species; however, their dearth of genetic diversity and small population size should be kept in mind when assessing their risk of extinction in the Anthropocene.