OUNCE

22nd February 2024

Photo Credit: Andyworks (Getty Images Signature), CANVA

QUOTATION

What thou seest when thou dost wake

Do it for thy true love take.

Be it ounce, or cat, or bear,

Pard, or boar with bristled hair,

In thy eye that shall appear

When thy wak’st, it is thy dear.

Wake when some vile thing is near.

OBERON: Midsummer Night’s Dream, Act 2, Scene 2

OUNCE (Snow Leopard: Panthera uncia)

The Ounce is only mentioned once in the list of fierce creatures that Oberon wishes to inflict on Titania as her lover. There is a certain amount of uncertainty as to which animal is intended. There were different opinions on the identity and native range of the Ounce. Phipson (1883) records that Mauritania, Libya, and Brazil were considered as possibilities for this Leopard like species.

The Ounce is now most closely linked with the Snow Leopard (Panthera uncia). Snow leopards are found in Central Asia, Northern India, up to the Russian Federation. They are assessed as Vulnerable under the IUCN Red List.

More Information

Folger Shakespeare Library: Search Shakespeare’s Works

IUCN Red List: Panthera uncia

Phipson, E. 1883 Animal Lore of Shakespeare’s Time. Facsimile Edition reprinted by The Lost Library, Glastonbury, U.K.

WWF: Snow Leopard