Snow leopard habitat. Photo of a snow leopard - snow leopard in the red book
One of the most powerful representatives of the cat family - snow leopard. Another name for this animal is snow leopard or snow leopard. Because of valuable fur Snow leopard hunting is always popular. Because of this, the number of individuals of this species decreased greatly in the middle of the last century.
It was recorded that in the sixties of the 20th century there were only one thousand adult snow leopards left on the planet. IN lately The snow leopard population has increased and reached a value of 5000–7500 individuals. This was achieved thanks to the ban on hunting this predator. In all states where the snow leopard lives, the animal is protected and listed in the Red Book.
Habitats and numbers of snow leopards
You can meet this magnificent animal in Central Asia. The main habitats of snow leopards are located in such states as:
- Afghanistan,
- Russia,
- China,
- India,
- Kazakhstan,
- Kyrgyzstan,
- Mongolia,
- Uzbekistan and others.
You can meet a mammalian predator in the highlands, approximately at an altitude of 1500 to 5 thousand meters above sea level. In Russia, snow leopard habitats are located in Khakassia, Altai, Tyva, and the Krasnoyarsk Territory.
Appearance of a snow leopard (irbis)
Description of the appearance of the snow leopard
The appearance of the snow leopard resembles a leopard, despite its rather distant relationship. In addition, the snow leopard is much smaller than its relative. At the withers the animal grows up to 60 centimeters. The body of the snow leopard reaches one and a half meters in length, the tail is a whole meter! From the entire cat family snow leopards have the most long tail in relation to the body. The tail is used to maintain balance during huge jumps - over a distance of 15 meters. At the same time the weight adult A leopard can reach 100 kilograms. Males are usually larger than females.
The snow leopard's head is small, about 20 centimeters long. The tips of the ears are rounded and there are no tassels. Wide paws prevent the predator from falling into the snow.
The coat color is predominantly gray with black spots. In winter the skin has more dark color, and in the summer it gets lighter. The spots are shaped like a five-leaf flower, often with an additional spot in the middle. The head, neck and limbs do not have clearly defined spots, but rather black smears. The spots are large and can reach a diameter of 7 centimeters. The predator's fur is thick and long, the hairs reach a length of 5.5 centimeters. This is due to the fact that snow leopards live mainly in cold climatic conditions. It is noteworthy that snow leopards fur grows even between the toes. This saves the snow leopard from the cold in winter and from hot stones in summer. It also prevents it from slipping on ice.
An adult animal has 30 teeth. A roar like others major representatives The cat family does not make sounds, but mostly meows in low tones.
Food and hunting
Snow leopards are predatory animals of the cat family. They prefer to hunt at dusk or dawn. As a rule, they hunt the following animals:
- on ungulates: sheep, mountain goats, roe deer, deer;
- on small animals: gophers, pikas;
- for birds: snowcocks, pheasants.
However, attacking small animals and birds is not typical for snow leopards. Snow leopards hunt for them if there are not enough large horned animals nearby.
The hunt is conducted as follows. The predator sneaks up on the chosen game and quickly jumps on it. For an ambush, high stones are used; in this case, the victim will be thrown from above. They can pursue prey at a distance of about 300 meters, but if they fail to catch up with the victim, they stop the chase. Snow leopards can hunt in families of 2–3 individuals. In this case, these mammalian predators can even successfully attack a bear.
Snow leopards drag their prey onto a bed, where they eat it. Remains, as a rule, are not guarded or hidden. At the same time, one large game, a snow leopard, is enough for several days.
In summer, snow leopards are known to nibble on grass and green parts of young bushes in addition to meat obtained from hunting.
Reproduction
Snow leopards lead a predominantly solitary lifestyle, but can unite in family groups. The territory of one male has an area of 150–160 square kilometers. Partially overlapped by female territories. They prefer to settle in rocky places, often occupying natural caves or nests of large birds.
Mating occurs in spring or early summer. Mating season very short - only a week. Pregnancy lasts 3–3.5 months. The female makes a warm, secluded den, the bottom of which is lined with her fur. There are 2–3 kittens in a litter. The cubs are born blind and their eyes open after about a week. Babies weigh approximately 500 grams and reach a length of 30 centimeters. The color is brown with small spots. At first they feed only on mother's milk. Only the mother takes care of the babies.
In hidden from prying eyes The cubs stay in the cave for about 2 months. All this time, in addition to milk, the female feeds them with meat. Little leopards begin to go hunting with their mother at about six months.. At first, only the mother rushes to the prey.
Children become independent at about two years of age, and sexual maturity occurs at four years of age. The lifespan of snow leopards reaches 13 years; in captivity they can live up to 20.
Of all big cats, the snow leopard is the least studied. This is a very secretive and cautious animal, and the inaccessibility of its habitat makes it even more difficult to study. mysterious predator. Next, I will share my knowledge with you and tell you everything I know today about the snow leopard.
First, let's look at the name. Nowadays it is customary to call a snow leopard a leopard, although in fact the word “leopard” is actually a synonym for the word “leopard”. In ancient times, leopards in Rus' were called “leopards.” The word "leopard" is of Turkic origin, and "leopard" is of Latin origin, which literally means "spotted lion." Over time foreign word“leopard” took root in the Russian language and leopards began to be called leopards, and the snow leopard is still called leopard. Its other name is snow leopard. Be that as it may, this is a completely different animal from the leopard. And although he outwardly resembles his brighter relative, their characters are completely different.
Although the snow leopard is a member of the Pantherinae subfamily, it is noticeably different from its other members. Previously, it was included in the genus Panthera together with the tiger, lion, jaguar and leopard, then it was separated into a separate genus Uncia. However, recently the phylogeny of the snow leopard has been revised and its close relationship with the tiger has been revealed, after which this type was again placed in the genus Panthera. It is much less aggressive than other panthers, and its roar is not as powerful as that of members of the Panthera genus. In addition to roaring, the snow leopard can make many other sounds. For example, it purrs, just like a domestic cat, and can also make a completely unusual roar. It's very difficult for me to describe it in words. I have never heard such sounds from any other cat species. Probably, such sounds serve as a call for snow leopards during the breeding season. Well, in general it must be said that the snow leopard is a rather quiet animal.
The snow leopard has a very strong, elongated body with relatively short and very thick legs, which, due to their width, are perfectly adapted for moving around deep snow. The hind limbs are slightly longer than the forelimbs. Thanks to this, the snow leopard jumps excellently and is one of the best jumpers among felines (and, perhaps, among animals in general).
The snow leopard's eyes are large and very expressive, with an intelligent and, I would say, deep look. Iris grey-green color(with a bias in one direction or another), which harmonizes perfectly with the overall smoky color. Constricting in bright light, the pupils of his eyes do not take on an elliptical shape, as in most small cats, but a round one, characteristic of panther cats. The fur of the snow leopard is soft to the touch, long and very thick. The tail is very long and fluffy. Such a tail helps the animal not to lose balance when it makes acrobatic jumps. In addition, such a fluffy tail can also serve as a kind of blanket, helping the animal not to waste heat during sleep. Weight ranges from approximately 25 to 75 kg. On average, the weight of adult animals is 35-55 kg (depending on gender).
These beautiful animals have a wonderful disposition. They are not at all aggressive towards humans and will never attack them unless the person himself provokes the animal. Getting to people in early age, a leopard can become very attached to its owner and become completely tame. In this regard, this is far from a leopard; the leopard, as noted above, has a completely different character.
The snow leopard is widespread in Central and Central Asia. It lives in mountains up to 5500 and even 6000 meters above sea level. In winter, following the ungulates, the leopard descends lower. Being excellent climbers, the snow leopard is perfectly adapted to life in such harsh conditions.
Its prey is most often mountain goats and rams, and at low altitudes deer and wild boars. Smaller animals, such as hares, marmots, black grouse, etc., are no exception.
Like all other large cats, the snow leopard can hunt both during the day and at night, but most often at dusk.
The snow leopard has virtually no natural enemies. Where it lives, the leopard is the top predator. True, for more low altitudes Conflicts with wolves may arise, but this happens extremely rarely. The only enemy of the snow leopard is man. It is thanks to some irresponsible representatives of this most dangerous of predators that the Earth has ever known that snow leopards are becoming fewer and fewer. Its habitat is gradually decreasing. In the Caucasus they have long disappeared. The snow leopard's relative, the leopard, is hanging on there with all its strength.
The individual ranges of the animals are simply huge. I won’t tell you the exact data in numbers so as not to lie, however hunting area The snow leopard is usually larger than the leopard.
A loner by nature, the leopard avoids meeting others of its own kind, except, of course, for the breeding season, which usually occurs at the beginning of the year. The female chooses some secluded place, for example a cave, or a rock crevice, in which she brings her offspring. Kittens are born approximately 100 days after mating. There can be from one to five kittens in a litter, but most often there are two or three. The weight of newborns is approximately 450-550 grams. The first days the kittens are blind and completely helpless. The eyes open only after a week. Leopard cubs feed on milk until three months, after which the mother gradually begins to wean them from this and teach them to hunt. By the age of two, young leopards become completely independent. At this time, they reach puberty.
The lifespan of a leopard can be more than 20 years, but in natural conditions This is likely to happen rarely.
Classification:
Family: Felidae (felines)
Subfamily: Pantherinae (panthers)
Genus: Panthera/Uncia (snow leopards or snow leopards)
Species: Panthera/Uncia uncia (snow leopard, or snow leopard)
Photo gallery:
Skulls:
Habitat:
The snow leopard (irbis; Latin names - Uncia uncia and Panthera uncia) is a mammal from the cat family that lives in mountain ranges Central Asia. Among large cats, the snow leopard is the only permanent inhabitant of the highlands. The snow leopard's habitat includes parts of the territories of 13 countries: Afghanistan, Burma, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan. The snow leopard's range in Russia is 2-3% of the current world range. In Russia, the snow leopard is found in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, Khakassia, Tyva and the Altai Republic, in the Eastern Sayan Mountains, in particular on the ridges Tunkinskie Goltsy and Munku-Sardyk.
Despite the external similarity with a leopard (in English, the snow leopard is called "Snow Leopard" - snow leopard), the relationship between it and the snow leopard is not very close, and besides, the size of the snow leopard is noticeably smaller. However, the snow leopard is much stronger and is considered the most a ferocious predator from the cat family.
The main coat color is light gray, appearing white in contrast to the black spots. This coloring perfectly camouflages the animal in natural environment his habitat is among dark rocks, stones, white snow and ice. The spots are shaped like rosettes, inside which there may be an even smaller spot. In this respect, the snow leopard is similar to the jaguar. In the area of the head, neck and limbs, the rosettes turn into black strokes. The coat is very thick and long (up to 55 mm) and serves as protection from the cold in harsh climatic conditions. From head to tail, the snow leopard measures 140 cm, the tail itself is 90-100 cm long. If we compare the length of the tail and body, then of all the cats the snow leopard has the longest tail, it is more three quarters body length. The snow leopard's tail serves as a balance when jumping. The length of the jump during hunting is up to 14-15 meters. The weight of an adult snow leopard can reach 100 kg.
The snow leopard is a predator that lives and hunts alone. Each snow leopard lives within the boundaries of a strictly defined individual territory. Hunts in most cases before sunset and in the morning at dawn. IN wildlife Snow leopards mainly feed on ungulates: blue sheep, Siberian mountain goats, marking goats, argali, tars, takins, serows, gorals, roe deer, deer, musk deer, deer, wild boars. In addition, from time to time they feed on small animals atypical for their diet, such as ground squirrels, pikas and birds (chukars, snowcocks, pheasants). In Russia, the main food for the snow leopard is mountain goat, in some places also maral, roe deer, argali, reindeer. As a rule, the snow leopard sneaks up on its prey unnoticed and jumps on it with lightning speed. He often uses high stones for this in order to unexpectedly throw the victim to the ground by jumping from above and kill him. At the end of summer, autumn and early winter, snow leopards often hunt in families of 2-3 individuals, which are formed by a female with her cubs. The snow leopard is able to cope with prey three times its mass. There is a recorded case successful hunt 2 snow leopards per 2 year old Tien Shan brown bear. Snow leopards consume plant food - green parts of plants, grass, etc. - in addition to their meat diet only in the summer.
Snow leopards do not emit a loud calling roar, characteristic of large cats, but purr like small ones. During the rut, animals make sounds similar to a deep meow. An adult snow leopard, like most other felines, has 30 teeth.
Leopard cubs (snow leopard cubs) are born blind and helpless, but after about 6-8 days they begin to see. The weight of a newborn leopard is about 500 grams with a length of up to 30 cm. The maximum known life expectancy in nature is 13 years. Life expectancy in captivity is usually about 21 years, but there is a known case where a female lived for 28 years.
Illegal but financially lucrative hunting for snow leopard fur has significantly reduced its population. On the black markets of Asia, the skin of this beast can fetch up to 60 thousand dollars. In all countries of its existence, the snow leopard is placed under state protection, but poaching still threatens it.
If you were lucky enough to see this beautiful mountain cat You won't forget a moment like this for the rest of your life. It's about about a miracle of nature called the snow leopard.
Snow leopard, leopard are other names for this animal. Mountain and snow predators are called because they live high in snow-capped mountains.
Irbis: description of the animal
Refers to large predators. Its weight ranges from 40 to 60 kg, body length is about 130-145 cm, add to this a meter-long tail. The shape of the animal, the snow leopard, resembles a leopard or an ordinary domestic cat. The leopard's paws are armed with narrow, sharp, curved claws. The limbs are so powerful that with their help the animal is able to jump over a gorge 9-10 m wide.
Wild snow leopard cats have a beautiful “fur coat.” Their fur is very long, lush, thick and soft to the touch. In such clothing, animals are protected from the cold even on frosty mountain peaks. Typically, predators from more small sizes, so the leopard is to some extent unique in the cat kingdom.
The coat color is light gray with a beautiful “wild” pattern in the form of dark rosettes. Belly and inner side limbs are white. In its natural habitat, such an “outfit” helps the predator camouflage itself at the right moments. It is interesting that, despite the loud title “predator”, this cat She doesn’t know how to growl at all; in moments of anger, she hisses and purrs, creating a semblance of a growl. During the rut, the snow leopard makes sounds reminiscent of purring. In captivity, a leopard can live 27-28 years; in the natural environment, the life expectancy of these predators does not exceed 20 years.
Animal snow leopard: where it lives in the wild
Large wild cats usually do not live high in the mountains. Snow leopard- This is an exception to the rule; it lives surrounded by rocky placers, steep gorges in rocky highlands. Not only because of its beautiful appearance, but also because of its habitat, the snow leopard is considered unique. The snow leopard is found in the mountains of Central Asia; its range covers an area of more than 1,230 thousand square meters. km. In Russia, the leopard occupied about 3% of the total area.
Lifestyle
The snow leopard is the owner and sole proprietor. This beautiful predatory “cat” occupies certain territory, marks it, carefully defends it and protects it from uninvited guests. The animal's solitary lifestyle is disrupted by the snow leopard only during the mating season.
When checking the boundaries of her property, she always takes the same route. She, like other members of the cat family, finds it difficult to move on loose snow. For this reason, predators lay paths along the snow crust along which they move freely and quickly. Such a powerful beast has practically no enemies among animals. When the year is hungry, the snow leopard can enter into fights with packs of wolves for the right to possess the long-awaited prey, which is extremely dangerous. The main and, one might say, the only enemy of leopards is man.
Diet
The favorite hunting time for the snow leopard is twilight. If there is enough prey in the area owned by the leopard, it feeds without trespassing. If there is not enough food, predatory cat goes in search of her, approaching human settlements and attacking livestock. Among the wild animals on the menu of the mountain beauty are: goats, elk, rams, wild sheep, deer, marmots, hares, mice and other mammals. As a complement to meat “dishes”, leopards eat plant foods in the form of grass and other green parts of plants. If we talk about the strength of the snow leopard, it can easily cope with prey of equal size, and can also hunt game that is superior in height and strength.
Reproduction
The animal the snow leopard is rare predator due to the slow rate of reproduction. These babies are not born every year, unlike other relatives. Puberty in snow leopards it occurs at the age of three. Snow leopards arrange their weddings at the beginning of spring, mating season takes place in March-April. After fertilization, the female leopard carries her cubs for 100 days. One litter can have from one to five kittens.
Babies are born completely helpless. Newborn leopards are blind and deaf and weigh about half a kilogram. The mother predator feeds her cubs with her milk for up to 4 months. When they are 50-60 days old, the female begins to feed the babies with meat. Starting from the age of six months, kittens already accompany their mother on the hunt and learn this skill.
- Translated from the Turkic dialect, the name “irbis” means “snow cat.”
- The leopard is capable of easily jumping up to 5-6 m in length. According to hunters, in critical situations the predator can “fly over” a 10-meter-long gorge.
- The wild cat loves to play, especially frolic and roll around in the snow.
- When meeting a person, he does not flare up with aggression; he tries to quickly leave and hide.
- About once every two weeks, the leopard kills one large animal and feeds on this carcass for about 3-4 days.
- Can migrate following up to 600 km.
On the verge of extinction
As mentioned earlier, the snow leopard animal, unfortunately, does not belong to numerous species. The following reasons led to the snow leopard being on the verge of extinction:
It’s good that now people have come to their senses and are busy restoring and preserving this species wild cats. The snow leopard is listed in the Red Book as a predator on the verge of extinction. Almost all countries in the world have banned leopard hunting. Let's hope that the fauna of planet Earth will not lose such a wonderful representative as the snow leopard.
The snow leopard or snow leopard is a member of the cat family. Those closest to him are zoological classification leopards and jaguars actually bear little resemblance to the leopard.
Lifestyle of snow leopards
The habitat of the snow leopard is snowy highlands. Life in the snow has led to the emergence of a number of adaptations that distinguish the snow leopard from similar species. And it's not even so much about appearance(color adaptation) and resistance to cold. The habits of snow leopards are categorically different from the behavior of lions. Any leopard is an inveterate individualist, capable of hunting animals three times his size. In cold mountains, with minimal wildlife, only this strategy is viable.
The snow leopard has no natural enemies, and meetings with representatives of their own species are rare. Having attacked and killed its prey with lightning speed, the leopard will first bring it to its lair and only then devour it. Delivery of food “home” occurs slowly, without haste. Leopards are very careful on rocky mountains.
However, when it comes to hunting, everything changes. The leopard easily and naturally jumps over rocks, covering 3-5 meters in a jump. A temperature of minus 42 degrees, which is unpleasant for any person, is the ideal norm for snow leopards.
Facts about snow leopards
The snow leopard is listed in the Red Book due to poachers. Snow leopard skins cost a fortune on the black market due to the difficulty of hunting them.
Increased grazing of livestock in alpine meadows has led to a decrease in the number of wild herbivores that leopards hunt. This also brought snow leopards to the brink of extinction.
The main prey of snow leopards are sheep and mountain goats. However, sometimes yaks turn out to be food, and mice are on hunger strike. Leopard attacks on people are extremely rare.
There are about two thousand snow leopards left on the planet.