Snow relative of the leopard. Snow leopard or leopard: characteristics of the animal

Genetically related to tigers, but for a long time was classified by zoologists as a member of the panther genus. We're talking about the snow leopard. His middle name is snow leopard. In the cold highlands, he is the only representative of the felines. Looking at others literally from high, the leopard is a symbol of power and nobility.

Description and features of the snow leopard

Externally Snow Leopard- a squat leopard with long, white fur. She is 6 centimeters, which is a record among cats. The snow leopard's tail is especially long. Other features include:

• the ability to purr and the lack of the ability to growl, like other big cats
• body length from 200 to 230 centimeters, taking into account the meter-long tail
• weight from 25 to 75 kilograms, where the upper limit belongs to males, and the minimum indicators belong to females
• 60 cm height at the withers
• small, rounded ears without tufts at the ends
• large gray-black markings with a diameter of about 7 centimeters of a ring type on the body
• small solid black spots on the face and paws
• furry paw pads that prevent the cat from getting frostbite in the snowy highlands
• yellow-green eyes with a round black pupil
• combination of black viriss on the face with white
• 30 teeth

Zoologists call the snow leopard a medium-sized cat, since half of the predator’s habits are taken from small ones, and the other half from large whiskered ones. The latter are characterized by a pattern on the head, a round pupil, which allows the structure of the larynx to growl.

The leopard is deprived of the latter, and is in a pose characteristic of small mustachios with a vertical pupil.

Called medium, the size of the snow leopard is comparable to large cats. However, the extinct saber-tooth also differed in size. Despite its size, it was a small cat.

The snow leopard's wide paws provide good traction when traveling through mountainous terrain

Lifestyle and habitat

The second name of the species comes from the Turkic “irbiz”. Translation: “snow cat.” The main name also contains the adjective “snowy”. The characteristic indicates the living conditions of the snow leopard. He is choosing:

1. Highlands, rising 2-6 thousand meters above sea level.
2. Coniferous forests at medium altitudes and thickets of bushes, for example, rhododendron under the “roof of the world.”
3. Sometimes snow leopard lives on the desert plains of the highlands.

Places suitable for snow leopards are located in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Tibet, Kyrgyzstan, and India. It happens animal snow leopard and in Afghanistan, Pakistan. The beast is found in the mountains of the Krasnoyarsk and Altai territories, Tyva.

Features of the snow leopard's lifestyle are:

1. Territoriality. There are several hundred kilometers per male. The length of the possession is greater than its width. The male allows 3-4 females into his territory, but only meets them for mating.
2. Stealth. Among cats, the snow leopard is the most timid, careful, like a lynx, it hears and smells a person tens of kilometers away.
3. Routing. The leopard has a proven scheme for bypassing possessions. The beast does not change its route. Poachers take advantage of this by finding predator trails.
4. Night look life. During the day, the leopard rests in its den, or among the branches. The cat makes a “house” in rocky crevices. A leopard moves once every 3-5 years.

Moving in the mountains, the snow leopard is forced to jump between boulders and jump over crevices. In “flight” the animal steers with its bushy tail.

The leopard's tail allows you to maintain balance

Types of snow leopards

In the report international group Researchers from 2017 talk about 3 subspecies of snow leopard. They were determined by the genome of animals. Cat feces were analyzed. Biomaterial was collected in different parts of the world. In China, for example, snow leopard feces were collected in 21 provinces.

The biomaterial allowed scientists to:

• polymerase chain reaction(PCR) aimed at repeating short monomeric fragments (first we looked for 7, then expanded the scope to 33 microsatellites)
• sequencing of mitochondrial DNA fragments

The second analysis turned out to be uninformative. PCR divided leopards into territorial subgroups. They differ not only genetically, but also in their anatomy and coloring. Defined:

1. Central subspecies. Medium size with charcoal markings.
2. Southern snow leopard. The largest and with the darkest spots.
3. Northern snow leopard. Smaller than others. The markings on the animal's body are gray.

Anatomically, cats may have different heads, for example. Snow Leopard Russia, for example, it happens with a neat or, on the contrary, a massive skull. The latter is typical for snow leopards Altai Territory.

Snow leopard nutrition

Snow leopard in the photo often appears with prey the size of a cat or larger. This is a feature of the snow leopard - it prefers serious opponents. The predator's menu includes:

• argali, wild boars, deer, roe deer, mountain goats and other ungulates
• livestock in conditions of famine, when leopards are forced to go out to settlements
• hares, rodents and birds as snacks

Overtaking prey Irbis (snow leopard) makes 6-meter long jumps. This is when a chase is necessary. A predator hunts from an ambush. Therefore, sometimes one sharp impulse towards the victim is enough.

Reproduction and lifespan

About the snow leopard little is “heard”, but by the end of winter the animals become more active. The breeding season begins. Females prepare dens for childbirth. They carry offspring in their womb for 110 days. Afterwards 2-5 kittens are born. They:

• 30 cm length
• weigh about half a kilogram
• blind
• helpless until one month of age

When the kittens are one and a half months old, the mother begins to feed the offspring meat. At the same time, newborns continue to drink breast milk, weaning off it by 6 months of age.

The father does not participate in raising the offspring. Life skills are passed on to young cats by the mother, who lives with her offspring for about 2 years. Accordingly, female leopards give birth to kittens once every 24 months.

Snow leopard cubs

Snow leopard conservation

Snow leopard in the Red Book. The species is listed in the international edition. There is no place on the planet where the snow leopard population is large.

Hunting for snow leopards is prohibited everywhere, as it has become the main reason for the small number of cats. They were shot for their valuable fur. It was a trend in the fashion world of the 19th and 20th centuries. In the 21st century, snow leopard skins are supplied to the market by poachers. Their goods are found in the markets:

1. Mongolia.
2. China.
3. Thailand.

In addition to poachers, the leopard population is being “undermined” by:

• reduction in the food supply, that is, the number of ungulates
• disturbance of animals due to active development of their lands by humans
• tourism development

How many snow leopards are left?? There are about 3 thousand individuals throughout the world. It’s not for nothing that the snow leopard is “placed” on the scarlet page of the Red Book. This is how species on the verge of extinction are designated. The black pages tell about those who have already disappeared. Yellow animals whose numbers are declining, but are not yet critical, are indicated.

Only 150 snow leopards live in Russia. In the entire Krasnoyarsk Territory, for example, only 20 individuals were counted. They live in the Sayano-Shushensky Nature Reserve and Ergaki.

Hi guys! In this article we will tell you what kind of animal this is - the snow leopard and why it is called that.

Of course, he is not made of snow, he simply lives among the high snow-capped peaks with eternal ice.
The snow leopard, as it is also called, is a graceful and strong animal. It looks a little like a small tiger, but its fur coat is not striped, but is painted silver-white and covered with black spots.

The leopard is not a large animal - the length of its flexible body is 1.6-2 meters, and its weight is like that of a small dog - 35-40 kg. It is distinguished from other cats by its spotted coat color, short strong legs and long, elegantly fluffy tail.

Where does the snow leopard live?

The snow leopard is a true mountain dweller. Climbers encounter it at an altitude of 2-4 km above sea level among the Altai and Sayan mountain ranges, as well as Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries. Settles among steep precipices, in rocky gorges, next to eternal ice.

What does a snow leopard eat?

The snow leopard prefers these harsh places because it is home to favorite treat– argali and mountain goats. The predator lies in wait for them on narrow mountain paths, sometimes sneaking behind the herd as an overseer for months. In the sweltering summer heat, mountain goats climb high into inaccessible mountains, closer to the glaciers. The snow leopard reaches after them. If he cannot taste goat meat, he is content with hares, marmots or poultry.

How does the snow leopard reproduce?

At the age of 3-4 years, usually in late spring - early summer, the female leopard gives birth to from one to five blind, helpless cubs, which by 6-8 days receive their sight and by the end of July are already in full pursuit of their mother on the hunt. Young leopards mature in 1.5 years before winter.

Snow leopard and man

A snow leopard never initiates an attack on a person, with the exception of a wounded animal. Only a few cases are known in which people were injured: a smart predator pushed a stone onto a hunter following its trail; in Kazakhstan, in broad daylight, a snow leopard injured people, but it turned out that he was sick with rabies; Only once did an exhausted, toothless animal jump from a cliff onto a person, but it was a leap of hopelessness, the same as jumping onto stones from a high cliff.

Why are the snow leopard disappearing?

Unfortunately, there are very few of these beautiful proud animals left in the whole world. People have always hunted the snow leopard for its magnificent fur. Only inaccessible rocks helped the now rare predators survive. Over the past two decades, their number has decreased catastrophically. This probably also happened because the shepherds and their livestock occupied the usual pastures of mountain goats, whose numbers were greatly reduced, and the snow leopards died of starvation.

The snow leopard is listed in the Red Book of Russia as an endangered species. Now reserves are being created where this amazingly beautiful animal could survive.

You can learn more about the snow leopard by watching the video:

Snow leopard, also known as snow leopard, or snow leopard (lat. Panthera uncia, Uncia uncia) is a mammal of the order Carnivora, cat family. Previously, it was classified as a separate genus, Snow Leopards (lat. Uncia), represented by a single species Uncia uncia. In 2006, according to the results of genetic studies, in some classifications it was added to the genus Big cats (Panthers) (lat. Panthera). It turned out that according to the genetic criterion, the snow leopard is closest to. True, some scientists still doubt this, classifying the animal as belonging to the genus Uncia. In addition to the snow leopard, the same controversial status has clouded leopard And .

International scientific name: Panthera uncia(Schreber, 1775), Uncia uncia (Schreber, 1775).

Synonyms: Felis uncia(Schreber, 1775).

Security status: According to the IUCN Red List (version 3.1), the snow leopard is considered vulnerable. According to the Red Book of Russia, the species is disappearing.

This cat has many names. The Kalmyks call it irgiz, the Uzbeks - alaji bars, the Tatars - akbars, the Tungus - kunik, the Yakuts - khakhai, the Kazakhs - ilbis or barys, the British - snow leopard, the Mongols - irves. In Japanese, snow leopard is tora. In Kyrgyzstan, the snow leopard is called ilbirs. In Russian, it has long been called an irbis, which is translated from the ancient Turkic language as “snow cat”, and in Tuvan it sounds like irbish.

Russian people learned about the snow leopard from merchants who traded with the Turkic peoples. The word itself entered scientific literature as a full term replacing the name “snow leopard”. The word "leopard" is also borrowed from the Turkic language and means "leopard". The snow leopard is often also called the white leopard. First scientific name Uncia was given to the snow leopard by the German scientist I.H. Schreber in 1775.

By the way, despite the fact that the leopard is called a snow leopard, it does not like to walk in the snow.

Snow leopard - description of the animal and photographs. What does a snow leopard look like?

The snow leopard is a graceful predator with a flexible and agile body, a smooth and graceful gait, somewhat reminiscent of, but squat in comparison with it. The features of the snow leopard's adaptation to its environment are noticeable in its entire appearance. The average length of the animal's body is 100-130 cm, the tail - 90-105 cm. The total length of the body including the tail can reach 230 cm. The height at the withers is approximately 60 cm. The size of males exceeds the size of females. The weight of an adult male snow leopard reaches 45-55 kg, a female weighs no more than 35-40 kg.

The body of the snow leopard is slightly convex in the area of ​​the sacrum and sloping towards the shoulders, which is characteristic of the appearance of small cats (lat. Felinae). The snow leopard is ten times heavier than a domestic leopard and seven to eight times lighter than a tiger, the largest of the cats. For this, scientists call it the “big small cat.” The snow leopard differs from the leopard in having a less massive front part of the body and a smaller head.

The snow leopard's head is small, round, and shaped like the head of a domestic cat. It has small, rounded, widely spaced ears. The structure of the snow leopard's skull is easily recognized by its characteristic large forehead. There are no tassels on the ears. In winter, the ears are practically invisible due to the long pile covering them.

The whiskers on the face of the snow leopard are black or white, up to 10.5 cm long. The animal's eyes are large, with round pupils. Vision and smell are very well developed.

The snow leopard has sharp and long teeth and claws. All cats, including the snow leopard, have 30 teeth:

• on the upper and lower jaws there are 6 incisors, 2 canines;
• on the upper jaw - 3 premolars and 1 molar;
• on the lower jaw - 2 premolars and 1 molar.

The length of the snow leopard's fangs is somewhat shorter than those of other cats. It is 59.9 mm.

On the sides long tongue The snow leopard has tubercles covered with keratinized skin. They help the beast strip meat from the victim and wash itself during hygienic procedures.

The soft and long hairs of the animal can reach 55 mm.

The magnificent tail of the snow leopard is covered with especially long hair. It reaches more than ¾ of the total body size and appears very thick due to its elongated fur. The thickness of the tail exceeds the thickness of the predator's forearm.

The snow leopard holds its tail either bent in an arc towards its back, or drags it freely along the ground, stones or snow: then in winter a distinct stripe is additionally visible between its tracks.

By the way, the snow leopard often bites its tail for some reason. Zoologists suggest that this is how he simply warms his nose in cold winters. But maybe there is another explanation for this? All cats love to play, and snow leopards are no exception: they bite their tails for fun.

The snow leopard's wide snowshoe paws are equipped with light pink retractable claws. Along with thick fur, they make the predator visually larger. The length of the foot of the hind legs of the mammal is 22-26 cm.

The color of the snow leopard's coat on the back and upper sides is predominantly smoky-brownish-gray, with dark gray or black spots. There are no differences in color between females and males. In the off-season, the smoky coating is less pronounced than in winter. The belly and sides of the animal below are lighter than top part bodies. There is no yellowness in the colors. However, according to the latest data, the Baikal subspecies (lat. U. u. baikalensis-romanii), which not all scientists recognize as a valid subspecies, has yellow tones in color.

The spots on the predator’s body have the shape of rings (rosettes) or continuous streaks with a diameter of 5 to 8 cm. There are only solid spots on the neck, head and legs. On the back, near the sacrum, they often merge and form stripes stretching along the body. At the end of the tail there are large markings in the form of half rings framing the tail. Unlike a real leopard, the snow leopard has much fewer spots.

The pattern of spots is individual for each animal. In young individuals it is bright, over the years it becomes fuzzy and blurry, remaining only on the head and paws. This coloring helps the predator remain invisible among rocks, stones and snow. Adaptation of the snow leopard to natural environment habitat is also expressed in changes in the thickness of the coat depending on the season. The winter fur of the snow leopard is very lush and silky, it allows the predator not to freeze in the mountains even in the cold season.

Like all living organisms, the adaptability of the snow leopard is relative character. When environment actively changes - the snow quickly melts, the mountain slopes are covered with dense vegetation, then the animal is not saved by either the color of its fur or its sharp claws.

What does a snow leopard eat?

The snow leopard, like any cat, is a dexterous and strong hunter. It can kill prey more than 3-4 times its weight. The snow leopard's food is mainly medium-sized ungulates. The snow leopard hunts mountain goats (lat. Capra), point-horned goats (markhors) (lat. Capra falconeri), blue rams (lat. Pseudois), argali (lat. Ovis ammon), Siberian roe deer (lat. Capreolus pygargus), musk deer (lat. Moschus moschiferus), deer (lat. Cervus elaphus), reindeer(lat. Rangifer tarandus), boars (lat. Sus scrofa), gazelles (lat. Gazella subgutturosa), kulans (lat. Equus hemionus), serau (lat. Capricornis), gorals (lat. Naemorhedus caudatus), Himalayan tar (lat. Hemitragus jemlahicus), takins (lat. Budorcas taxicolor). More often it attacks female goats and young kids, sometimes not yet able to follow their mother.

Snow leopards also eat small animals such as snowcocks, pikas, marmots, hares, and chukars. They catch birds: pheasants, partridges, mountain turkeys. Of the large victims, their prey can be male deer and horses. Like other felines, they sometimes eat grass or rhododendron shoots to compensate for vitamin deficiencies. Snow leopards attack domestic animals (goats, snow leopards) either winter period, or if they graze in alpine meadows.

On average, the snow leopard hunts 2 times a month. He does this alone, more often at night or at dusk, less often during the day. Only occasionally can a male and a female or a female with grown cubs go hunting together.

The snow leopard hunt consists of an ambush and a decisive throw. Usually the predator lies above the path along which the ungulates pass in order to make a jump from above. He can also watch over them at a watering hole or salt lick. To be successful, he needs a height advantage. If the leopard misses when throwing, it usually pursues the victim no more than 300 meters or even leaves it alone. At short distances, the speed of the snow leopard can reach 64 km per hour. The snow leopard can also crawl towards its prey from cover. When there are several tens of meters left before the prey, the snow leopard jumps out and quickly overtakes it with a jump of 6-7 meters in length. Having caught up with his prey, he tears its throat or groin with his teeth.

Occasionally, the snow leopard tries to catch up with its prey. So on the Dzhebaglytau ridge we encountered traces of a predator chasing argali females for about a kilometer.

The leopard does not kill several animals at the same time, as, for example, a wolf does. It eats the carcass of a killed or goat in 3-7 days. At one time he can eat no more than 3 kg of meat.

The snow leopard lives in 12 countries: Nepal, Afghanistan, China, Kazakhstan, Bhutan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, India, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Russia.

Snow leopard - inhabitant of the snowy peaks of the massifs Central Asia. Usually its home is the highlands near the snow line, up to an altitude of 2000 - 5000 meters. Depending on the snow line, it can descend to a level of 500 m (in Russia) and rise to 6500 m (in Nepal). In winter, the predator can be found in the forests where the snow leopard hunts, musk deer, and deer. The oldest fossilized remains of this animal were found in Altai and Mongolia. They have been preserved there since the Pleistocene era of the Quaternary period.

The snow leopard's habitat extends from the Himalayas in the south, through the Qinghai-Tibet plateau and the mountains of Central Asia to the mountains Southern Siberia in the north. The predator is found in the Altai, Sayan, Tien Shan, Kunlun, Pamir, Hindu Kush, Karakorum, as well as on the outer Himalayan ranges and in small isolated mountains in the Gobi region. In the mountains of Tibet, the snow leopard is found as far as Altun Shan. The southern border of the distribution of the mammal is in Tajikistan. A small area of ​​potential range is located in northern Myanmar, but the animal's recent presence there has not been confirmed. The northernmost border of the snow leopard's habitat in the world lies on the territory of Russia: here it inhabits the Altai-Sayan mountainous country(south Krasnoyarsk Territory, Chita region, the Republics of Tyva, Altai, Buryatia, Khakassia), and is also found in such reserves as Altai and Sayano-Shushensky. Unfortunately, in Russia the snow leopard population is on the verge of extinction.

Due to the small number and secrecy, the presence of a snow leopard in the territory and its habits are recognized mainly due to indirect signs. Where the snow leopard is located, there are scrapes in the ground, burrs on tree trunks, excrement, urine marks and footprints. Snow leopard tracks are large, without claw marks, reminiscent of lynx tracks. But snow leopard and lynx are practically never found in the same territory. Now automatic cameras (photo traps) and satellite beacons have been added to the methods of detecting animals. With their help you can learn everything about the snow leopard.

The slopes of the Altai Mountains are a typical habitat for the snow leopard. Photo credit: Stefan Kühn, CC BY-SA 3.0

Number of snow leopards in the world

This secretive and therefore poorly studied mammal has become rare due to the fault of people. The first mentions of it in literature appeared only in the 18th century. And all the work of that time was devoted to how to discover the habitat of the snow leopard, how to properly kill the animal and tan its skin. The snow leopard was important only as a game animal. Due to intensive destruction, the life of the snow leopard was in danger.

Due to the fact that the snow leopard leads a secretive lifestyle, it is difficult for scientists to accurately count the number of individuals. According to the latest data, there are from 4 to 7 thousand snow leopards left in the world.

• There are only 150-200 individuals left in Russia.
• In China there is the most a large number of snow leopards: 2000-5000 individuals.
• There are 600-700 snow leopards living in zoos around the world.

Snow leopards have become completely extinct in parts of Russia, Nepal, India and Mongolia. The reasons why the numbers of this species are declining around the world are absurdly similar:

1. Poaching.

The snow leopard is hunted for its valuable fur, as well as for the use of its body parts in oriental medicine. Leopards often die after getting caught in snares placed on other animals; in Russia, most often on musk deer.

1. Human modification of the snow leopard's habitat.

The construction of roads, as well as gas and oil pipelines, affects the number of ungulates - the leopard's main prey. The proximity of man-made buildings also causes discomfort for this cautious and secretive mammal.

1. Shooting during an attack on livestock.

The snow leopard can attack livestock if it is grazing in the predator's hunting area. Having climbed into a covered pen, in his excitement he can slaughter almost the entire herd.

1. Reducing the number of ungulates due to intensive human hunting and changes in their habitats.

How does a snow leopard live in the wild?

It is important for the snow leopard to be surrounded by rocks, boulders, scree, and gorges, because it cannot pursue prey for a long time, and therefore hunts from ambush. When a snow leopard sits hidden among the rocks, it is almost impossible to notice it. The animal's paws, which are short relative to the body, allow it to move silently along the rocks. It slowly creeps up or quietly waits for the victim, and then suddenly attacks it. This tactic allows the predator to cope with an animal much larger than itself. How big cats, he kills prey quickly and accurately, and eats it like representatives of small cats: slowly and little by little.

The snow leopard is a cautious animal. Its main refuges are hard-to-reach gorges, crevices and caves in the mountains. Females hide here and breed their offspring. In the mountains, the snow leopard wanders behind herds of ungulates, in the summer it rises higher in the mountains, and in the winter it descends to the forest belt. In summer, it often lives in the subalpine and alpine belts of the mountains.

Despite its name, the snow leopard has difficulty moving through deep snow. In winter, he prefers to walk along well-trodden animal trails.

The snow leopard can jump up to 3 meters in height and up to 6-7 meters in length. There is evidence that it “flies” over gorges that are 15 meters wide, but this is unlikely. The snow leopard's jump is helped by well-developed pectoral muscles, with their help he perfectly climbs steep cliffs. In this case, its tail serves as a rudder - this is one of the explanations for why the snow leopard needs such a long tail. The main prey of the snow leopard is wild mountain ungulates, so daily training exercises– overcoming steep slopes and jumping over rocky screes is a vital necessity for a predator. The snow leopard uses its tail as a balancer when fast movements and sharp turns.

The snow leopard is an animal well adapted to life on high altitude. It has advanced chest and a large lung capacity to receive required amount oxygen from thin air high in the mountains. The deep and wide cavity of its nose helps warm the cold mountain air. In addition, when he goes to bed, he covers his nose with his fluffy warm tail.

The snow leopard can withstand frosts down to -40°C and below. In winter, even the pads of its paws are covered with thick hair.

Each snow leopard has its own territory, the boundaries of which it marks. different ways: scrapes the ground with its hind paws, leaving holes - scratches, splashes of urine on the rocks at nose level, excrement, scuff marks on the most noticeable tree trunks. But males are not aggressive towards their fellow tribesmen; their territories can overlap with the territories of several adult females.

The snow leopard is most active at dawn and dusk, making it difficult to spot. In winter, the animal has a more difficult time than in summer, since its tracks in the snow are clearly visible.

By the way, the snow leopard loves to play, like all cats: it rolls around in the snow, rolls down the mountains on its back, having previously accelerated well. After a successful hunt, he basks in the sun, settling down somewhere more comfortable.

The snow leopard cannot growl: it purrs, meows, moans, howls, hisses. The meow of a snow leopard resembles a roar, as it calls spring with its guttural “ay”.

Snow Leopard represents the cat family - it is quite graceful and beautiful predator. He is often called the “master of the mountains” and is a permanent resident of the mountain.

Features and habitat of the snow leopard

The animal is solitary by nature, it is not for nothing that it lives in mountainous areas: Western Sayan, Himalayas, Pamir, Altai, Greater Caucasus. In Russia you can find only a few percent of the total number of this amazing animal.

Snow Leopard – snow leopard, it received this name translated from Turkic, snowy. Basically, especially in the warm season, leopards live among bare rocks, and only in winter can they be found in the valley. The animal feels great at high altitudes (6 km). Each of them takes enough large area, and other individuals do not step on it.

Snow leopard description looks very similar to . On average, this animal weighs up to 40 kg (can reach 75 kg in captivity), and its body has a length of 1-1.30 m. The length of the tail is the same as the body.

The male is always larger than the female. Its coat is light gray in color and is all covered with dark gray spots, except for its belly, which is white. This color helps it camouflage while hunting.

Leopard fur is so warm and thick that it perfectly protects the animal in cold weather; it is also located between the toes. The paws are soft and long, they do not sink into the snow, and this allows the animal to hunt successfully. The jump during hunting can reach up to 6 m in length and 3 m in height.

The animal's fur is considered very valuable, so it is actively hunted, which significantly reduces the population. That's why snow leopard in the Red Book takes pride of place. And worst of all, poaching of this magnificent animal continues. A man with a gun is the most important enemy of a predatory animal.

But zoos, on the contrary, are trying their best to increase the population. Surprisingly for a cat breed, leopards rarely growl, and if this happens, it is very quiet. But they meow and purr, like all other predators.

Character and lifestyle of the snow leopard

Oddly enough, the character of the snow leopard is feline. Like many others, he is a loner by nature. He prefers highlands. The area it occupies is quite large (up to 160 km²). Its moulting territory may be crossed by the territories of females. The male mainly moves along the same route.

A snow leopard can build its home (den) in a large nest or in a rock (cave). It is here that he spends a large amount of time, namely his entire bright part.

At night, the snow leopard begins its hunt. It is carried out on the territory marked by him, and only extreme need may force him to go to the next one.

Hunting for the snow leopard is not only a source of food, but also a kind of fun. He can stalk his prey for hours. Leopards have practically no enemies, so they are not at all afraid of night hunting.

Only the wild and hungry ones can cause him trouble, but they cannot defeat the snow leopard. The snow leopard does not attack humans; it prefers to move away and not be noticed. But still, isolated cases have been recorded in times of famine for the animal.

If we compare everyone, we can conclude that Snow Leopard, animal friendly enough. He can be trained. Snow leopards love to play, ride in the snow and even slide down hills. And after pleasure, lie down in cozy place and enjoy sun rays.

Nutrition

The snow leopard's diet mainly consists of animals living in the mountains: , . But if he cannot get such food, he can be content with birds or rodents.

A brave and cunning animal is also able to cope with a huge one. During one hunt, a snow leopard can get several victims at once. He does not eat them on the spot, but moves them to a place convenient for him (tree, rock). One animal wild cat enough for a few days.

IN summer period Snow leopards, in addition to meat, can feast on vegetation. The leopard does not eat everything that he managed to get for “dinner”. He needs about 2-3 kilograms to get enough. In times of famine, a predatory animal can hunt domestic animals.

Reproduction and lifespan

The mating season for snow leopards begins in the spring. At this time, the male creates sounds similar to purring and, thus, attracts the female. After fertilization, the leopard leaves the female.

Pictured is a snow leopard cub

The gestation period for a female lasts 3 months. Before the appearance of the little leopard future mom prepares the lair. Most often it is located in a hard-to-reach place, among rocks. To keep the “house” warm, the female tears out the fur from herself and lines the bottom of the den with it.

At one time, a female leopard can bring up to 5 kittens. Their size is the same as that of a regular kitten, and they weigh about 500 g. In blind kittens, their eyes begin to see after 5-6 days. Already on the 10th day of life they begin to crawl.

After 60 days, the babies slowly crawl out of the den, but only to fool around near the entrance. Snow Leopard, Pictures which is available on the Internet, in at a young age very funny.

Until 2 months of age, babies feed on milk, and then caring mother begins to feed them meat. At 5 months, the young generation goes hunting with the female. The prey is hunted down by the whole family, but the mother will attack first.

The female teaches her cubs everything, including hunting and taking care of them herself. The male has no part in this. At the age of one year, the young leopards already become independent and retire.

On average, snow leopards live about 14 years, but in captivity they can live up to 20. Several thousand snow leopards live in zoos and successfully breed there.

Titles: snow leopard, snow leopard, snow leopard.
Irbis, from the Turkic dialect "irbiz", which meant "snow cat".

Area: mountains of Altai, Pamir, Tien Shan, Tibet, Himalayas, Mongolia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nepal, China.

Description: The snow leopard's fur is long (up to 12 cm long), fluffy, with a thick undercoat. The head is small. The pupils are round. The tail is long (it accounts for up to 3/7 of the total length), covered with thick fluffy hair. The female uses it to warm her kittens. Males are larger and more massive than females.

Color: the general background of the body is whitish-gray (sometimes with a yellowish tint), which perfectly camouflages the leopard from enemies and its victims. There are many small black spots on the head. On the body the spots are black-gray or black in the form of rings. The belly and inside of the legs are white.

Size: body length 1.2-1.5 m, tail - 80-100 cm, height at the shoulders (at the withers) - 60 cm.

Weight: male - 45-55 kg, female - 35-40 kg.

Lifespan: in nature up to 18-20 years, in captivity up to 28 years.

Habitat: adapted to harsh climatic conditions - low-snow high-mountain alpine meadows and bare rocks at the borders of eternal snow, slopes of gorges, treeless highlands, stone placers (5000-6000 m above sea level).

Enemies: the main enemy is man. In hungry years, the snow leopard can compete for food with packs of wolves.

Food: The snow leopard hunts mountain goats and sheep, roe deer, wild boar, marmots, hares, ptarmigan, snowcocks, reindeer, moose and domestic yaks.

Behavior: V daylight hours spends days in a shelter. The snow leopard rests in caves, rock crevices, and on low trees. Hunts at dusk and at night. Can make jumps up to 6 m in length. Vision and hearing are well developed. Loves to play and roll in the snow. After such games he rests and basks in the sun.
On average, it kills one large prey every 10-15 days and eats it for about 4 days.
When meeting a person, he tries to leave or hide.
Dense and fluffy fur on the paws helps the snow leopard run quickly through the snow and stay on the slopes of the mountains.
The trail of wild goats can migrate up to 600 km.

Social structure: The snow leopard leads a mostly solitary lifestyle.
An individual area is about 160 km 2 .

Reproduction: The female does not give birth every year. For childbirth, the female makes a warm den in deep caves, rock crevices or other places where the kittens will not be disturbed by enemies. The bottom is lined with undercoat and fur, which it pulls out. The male also takes part in raising the young. Parents do not always actively protect their offspring.

Breeding season/period: January March.

Puberty: for 2-3 years.

Pregnancy: lasts about 100 days.

Offspring: The female gives birth to 1-5 blind and deaf kittens (usually two). The weight of newborns does not exceed 500 g. Size with tail is up to 25 cm. The fur is gray-brown with spots and stripes.
Eyes open on day 5-6. At 10 days of age, kittens begin to crawl. The young leopards leave the den when they are two months old. Lactation lasts up to 4 months, but from two months the female begins to feed them with meat. At the end of lactation, kittens go hunting with their mother. Leopard cubs play a lot, especially love to hunt for their mother's tail.

Benefit/harm for humans: Snow leopard skin is highly prized. Previously, leopard fur coats in the USA cost up to 60 thousand dollars. Now the leopard is also hunted for its bones, which are used in Chinese medicine.
It can be tamed, although it has a rather evil character.

Population/Conservation Status: Snow leopard throughout its range rare view, an endangered species. Listed in International IUCN Red List like an endangered species. The population size is no more than 2000 individuals.
The reasons for the population decline are depletion of the food supply, poaching, human development of mountain pastures, developing tourism, high market price on the skin and entrails of a leopard.
There are several subspecies of snow leopards, which differ from each other in color, size and spotting.

Copyright holder: Zooclub portal
When reprinting this article, an active link to the source is MANDATORY, otherwise, use of the article will be considered a violation of the Law on Copyright and Related Rights.