The cat family consists not only of cute domestic cats. In nature, there are a huge number of their wild representatives. One of them is the snow leopard or, on the other, the Irbis. The snow leopard is the only representative of the cat living in high altitude conditions. According to scientists, these animals were found in the mountains of Pakistan from 1.2 to 1.4 million years ago. Irbis translated from Turkic means “snow cat”.
The small head of the snow leopard is crowned with rounded ears. The length of the animal’s body is from 1.2 to 1.5 meters. The tail is long – it can reach 80-100 cm, and due to the thick fur it seems very thick. Height at withers is about 60 cm. Males are much larger than females. Their weight ranges from 40 to 45 kg, for females – from 30 to 35 kg.
Life expectancy in nature does not exceed 20 years, in captivity – up to 28. There are several subspecies of leopards in the world. Their differences are in size, color intensity and spotting.
For Asian nations, it is considered a symbol of nobility, strength and power. Therefore, images of this graceful animal can often be seen on the symbols of many cities in Central Asia.
Do not confuse the leopard with the leopard. They are very similar, but, nevertheless, they are different animals. Snow leopard, many have seen in zoos. The whitish-gray skin of an animal with black spots attracts the eye. Although he looks a bit like our pets, it is not advisable to get close to him. After all, this animal is a predator. But he never attacks a person first. Meeting with a person is always trying to avoid and hide in advance. At the same time, leopards are very playful animals. It is difficult to see because of his caution, but in Altai the photo trap caught the young in the frame.
The snow leopard lives in the mountainous regions of Tibet, Altai, Tien Shan, China, the Himalayas, Afghanistan, high mountainous Mongolia, Nepal and the Pamirs. The inhabitants of Asia can meet this animal at an altitude of 600 to 6 thousand meters above sea level. The height of the snow leopard’s residence depends on the season and the amount of food it can find in the mountains. If herds of animals follow, then he goes down after them. Locals sometimes call the leopard a shepherd on mountain goats.
After all, in fact, these two types are inseparable. The “pastel” irbis is a herd of many species of ungulates: horned goat, urial, Siberian ibex, elk, argali, roe deer, blue sheep, red deer. Although ungulates are the main food, but the snow leopard can hunt for kegs, pikas, partridges, woodchucks, mice, snowcocks, hares, wild boars. Sometimes it attacks domestic goats and sheep. He hunts about once a decade or half a month. Eats large prey for four days. All the time, the snow leopard remains very active. Any acrobat can envy his agility.
When hunting whitish-gray or yellowish-white color of the animal merges with the terrain. Leopards often track down their prey on the rocks. This helps them excellent vision and hearing. Irbis creeps closer and jumps on the chosen victim. His jump reaches over 6 meters. Most often hunts at dusk or at night. On the day trying to go into the crevices of rocks or caves. Rarely chooses old vulture nests in trees.
Fur color is perfect for masking. On the body of the snow leopard a lot of black or black and gray spots. But the belly and legs are white inside. Wool with undercoat is fluffy and long. Reaches up to 12 centimeters. That allows the snow leopard not to feel cold in winter. The tail is also long and fluffy. Sometimes it reaches a full meter. This allows the tail to cover the small boats, so that they do not freeze. The head of the leopard is small, the legs are short, and the body is elongated. To photograph a female with cubs in natural conditions is almost impossible. But here is a snapshot, which could be done in Mongolia.
On the snow leopards, the Altai people are still folding-fiction, but one thing is true that there is something mysterious in it. They say that if I managed to meet him at the mountain pass, then there would be no further road. He seemed to warn of danger. It was not so often when he suddenly appeared before the hunters and seemed to block the road. And then behind him began an avalanche. People were distracted and did not notice how the snow leopard was disappearing. And in fact not only warned about the avalanche, but also about the mudflow or rockfall. And sometimes he just stood on a mountain path and a good hunter realized that the irbis was hunting in these places and the man had nothing to do here. But it was such that the people themselves were already hunting for them. Yes, so hard that it was decided to put this animal in the Red Book. But this does not deter poachers and they again and again begin to hunt him. And then the snow leopard himself made the decision. It has already been noted that the snow leopard is a high mountain animal, it just now lives somewhat higher, that is, where it will be difficult for the common man, and it is just right for him.
