snow leopard
Snow leopards generally live near the snow line above 3,000 meters above sea level. China's Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the main habitat of snow leopards, where most of the world's snow leopards are distributed. But there are also a small number of snow leopards living in places without snow lines, that is, the Ula Mountains in the Yinshan Mountains of Inner Mongolia, with an average altitude of only about 1900-2000 meters, and the highest peak, Birchback, is only 2324 meters above sea level.
The fur of the snow leopard is gray-white, with black spots and black rings, and the tail is long and thick, known as the "king of the snowy mountains", and is the most beautiful cat in the world, of course, rock sheep and yaks do not think so.
Snow leopard cubs
Newborn snow leopard pups have blue eyes that turn amber after a few weeks. Snow leopard pups take about 18 months to learn survival skills, while most juvenile snow leopards do not survive for 18 months. Because snow leopards have a wide range of activities, harsh living environments, and difficult to find, the survival rate of juvenile snow leopards is difficult to count, but according to experts, their mortality rate may be as high as 80%, because juvenile snow leopards are also food for wolves or Tibetan mastiffs.
Snow leopards are rock-dwelling animals that are agile, agile, agile, and good at jumping. Snow leopard cubs are raised by female leopards. When the female leopard goes out to forage, it is also the most dangerous time for the snow leopard cubs, and it is very important to stay honestly in the location designated by the mother, because the location designated by the female leopard is often a cliff, and the general predator cannot reach the height of the snow leopard climbing, but there are always some emergencies that will cause the snow leopard cubs to leave and eventually encounter accidents. Such as wolf infestation, Tibetan mastiff intrusion, etc., of course, sometimes "curiosity kills cats", they are curious to explore, leaving the location designated by the female leopard, which will also greatly reduce the survival chances of young leopards.
Snow leopards prey on birds
Adult snow leopards generally hunt once every ten days or so, rock sheep, rats, rabbits are all snow leopard food, sometimes hungry and anxious to have to list yaks on the recipe. Yak is a highly social animal, living in groups, adult yaks, snow leopards do not dare to provoke, especially adult bulls, even if they fight alone, snow leopards are difficult to gain the upper hand, the horns of the yak are enough to put it to death, let alone a herd. Therefore, snow leopards generally only prey on single calves.
The snow leopard is an ambush predator, and sneak attacks are its housekeeping skills. When the snow leopard is not moving, the coat color and rock can be integrated, it is difficult to find, coupled with its thick and hairy soles, suitable for walking in the snow, is also an important reason to be able to quietly approach the predatory target. In order to prey, the snow leopard will wait for the opportunity so patiently that sometimes it does not forget to take a nap and sleep in the process of waiting, after all, it can sleep up to 18 hours a day.
Snow leopards by the cliffs
Catching a yak can take days to eat, and if there is a baby, it is difficult to take the captured prey back to feed the child. This is also a hard job, because sometimes in order to catch the prey, it will go very far, and the success rate of each sneak attack is only 30%, tired and tired to catch a prey, but also all the way back to the children with the wind and dust, but it is tired, and it is not easy to avoid wolves, Tibetan mastiffs and other halfway robberies.
The musk deer is delicious and juicy, the main catch is not life-threatening, and it is delicious to eat, so if you can meet the musk deer and catch one, it is the happiest thing for the snow leopard.
Snow leopards on the cliffs
Snow leopards are still solitary animals, they are very unreasonable, mark the ground with urine, pee wherever they go, this land is its own, of course, it mainly wants the "food" on this land, cows, sheep, deer. But you can't go to other people's places, no, don't pee on the territory of leopards, it's so easy to be beaten.
As the saying goes: a mountain cannot tolerate two tigers, unless there is a male and a female. The personality of the snow leopard lies in "living alone", and neither a male nor a female can do it, unless the female leopard is in estrus. After the female leopard finds a mate, she has to return to her territory after mating, because they are just a dewy couple. During this period, if more than one male snow leopard appears, the strong male leopard will expel other uninvited guests.
Sanjiangyuan National Park
Lucky young snow leopards survive 18 months and become adults, leaving their mother to fight alone in the world to find their own territory. Their lifespan can generally reach about 15 years.
Snow leopards have a very high status in China and are national first-class protected animals. There are currently about 4,500-7,000 snow leopards worldwide, and the Sanjiangyuan region has achieved the largest number of snow leopards in the world, and the IUCN has removed snow leopards from the endangered species category.