Snow leopard in nature. What does the snow leopard (irbis) eat and how does it hunt? Snow leopard nutrition

If you are lucky enough to see this beautiful mountain cat, you will not forget such a moment for the rest of your life. We are talking 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

Belongs 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 snow leopard animal 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. The belly and the inside of the 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 does not know how to growl at all; in moments of anger, it 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 do not usually 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 a 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, a predatory cat goes in search of it, 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 snow leopard animal is a rare predator due to its slow reproduction rate. These babies are not born every year, unlike other relatives. Snow leopards reach sexual maturity at three years of age. Snow leopards arrange their weddings in early spring; the 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 able to easily jump 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 become aggressive and 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 fact that the snow leopard was on the verge of extinction:

It’s good that now people have come to their senses and are busy restoring and preserving this species of 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.

Snow leopard or snow leopard (uncia uncia)- a predatory mammal, one of the rarest, major representatives cat family.

Description

The length of the body of an adult is 1000-1300 mm, the length of the tail is about 800-1000 mm and is equal to approximately 75% to 90% of the total body length. This extremely long tail is used for balancing on the rocky and mountainous terrain where they live, and the animals also use it to keep their limbs warm during harsh winter weather. The average weight of an adult snow leopard is 35-45 kg. There is no pronounced sexual dimorphism among these animals, but males may slightly exceed females in weight. Compared to other felines, snow leopards have slightly larger front paws, with an average foot pad measuring 90 to 100 mm in length and 70 to 80 mm in width. They also have relatively long hind legs, adapted for better maneuverability and jumping ability in their habitat.

The fur color of the snow leopard varies from light gray to smoky gray, with a creamy yellow and white tint usually found on the belly. The entire body of the snow leopard is covered with gray-black spots, which are surrounded by black rings. Larger spots and rings surrounding them are found only on the body and tail, while solid spots are common on the head, neck and lower limbs. Juveniles have longitudinal black stripes running along the back from head to tail. As they grow and mature, these stripes break up into large spots that form lateral rows of elongated rings along the center of the back.

Snow leopards have long, thick fur that sheds twice a year. IN winter period it becomes thicker and longer. In summer, the length of the snow leopard's fur is about 25 mm on the sides and approximately 50 mm on the belly and tail. IN winter time years, the hair reaches 50 mm on the sides, from 30 to 55 mm on the back, 60 mm on the tail and up to 120 mm on the belly. In addition to their thick fur, they have small, rounded ears that help minimize heat loss in cold conditions. Compared to other felines, snow leopards have much larger nasal cavities, as well as small and wide heads in relation to their body size.

Area

Snow leopards live on large areas, equal to approximately 2.3 million square kilometers. They can be found on all the high mountain ranges of Central Asia. This includes the entire Himalayan mountain system, as well as areas in Bhutan, Nepal and Siberia of Russia. Snow leopards are found anywhere from the Himalayas to southern and western Mongolia and southern Russia, but 60% of the population is found in China, especially in the autonomous regions of Xinjiang and Tebet, and in the provinces of Sichuan, Qinghai and Gansu.

Habitat

Steep, rocky, and rugged terrain is the preferred resting place for snow leopards, particularly near natural vegetation. The cliffs and large ridges are ideal for daytime recreation. Snow leopards live in alpine and subalpine zones at altitudes from 900 to 5,500 meters and above, but most often at altitudes between 3,000 and 4,500 meters. In winter they can migrate to lower places, to an altitude of 900 meters. Snow leopards generally avoid dense forests and cultivated fields, but can live in coniferous forests, and in arid and semi-arid scrubland, grasslands, montane grasslands and barren areas.

In western Nepal, in an area with high mining densities, the average size The habitat range varies from 12 to 39 square kilometers. However, in areas with difficult terrain, the actual range is likely to be 20-30% greater.

Reproduction

Snow leopards are solitary animals and do not communicate with others of their own kind unless it is mating season. Due to the long time spent raising their young, females mate every second year. They are polygamous in wildlife, but some snow leopards in captivity are known to become monogamous.

Snow leopard breeding is highly seasonal and occurs from January to March. When females come into heat, they make a continuous squeaking sound that attracts males. The female offers herself to the male - she raises her tail and walks around him. During mating, the male grabs the hair on the female's neck, thereby holding her in one position. Gestation lasts 90-105 days, with cubs born from April to June. The number of offspring per litter is 2-3 kittens, but in rare cases varies from 1 to 5. They are born in rocky shelters, where the female makes a warm nest of wool on her belly. At birth, weight ranges from 300 to 600 grams.

Breastfeeding lasts about 5 months, but young animals can consume solid food as early as 2 months of age. The first year of life there is a close connection between the mother and her offspring. Females reach sexual maturity at 2-3 years, and males at 4 years.

Since snow leopards are solitary animals, the longest social contact occurs during the period when females are raising their offspring. Kittens are born blind, and upon reaching... one week old open their eyes.

The reproductive rate of snow leopards is higher in areas where females have the opportunity to hide in reliable shelter and also feed on prey nearby. This is necessary for the safety of their offspring, since inaccessible and reliable shelter helps hide the babies from other predators and allows females to hunt freely. After reaching three months of age, kittens follow their mother and learn basic survival skills such as hunting. During the first year of life, the mother provides the cubs with food, protection, training and other necessary resources.

Lifespan

Since snow leopards lead a very solitary lifestyle, it is quite difficult to accurately determine the average life expectancy of these animals. In captivity, snow leopards live up to 21 years.

Behavior

Snow leopards are most active during dawn and dusk. They are also very mobile and can move from one place to another every day and change their resting place several times during the day. Generally, they stay in one specific area for several weeks and then move to another.

Snow leopards are solitary animals, but during the mating season they are in pairs, so they share territory with each other. Individuals that are forced to share territory maintain a distance of approximately 2 km from the nearest individual. Snow leopards avoid each other by marking their paths with scratches, feces and special glands that can describe the sex and reproductive status of the individual.

They have a well-developed ability to jump high thanks to their wide paws and elongated hind legs. Snow leopards prefer to spend their time on tall structures, especially when living in captivity. A rare observation of the behavior of snow leopards in captivity has determined that the animals reduce their activity in places where people are present.

The preferred method of hunting is stalking. They then ambush their prey from higher ground, using rocky terrain and shrubby vegetation for camouflage.

Communication and perception

Unlike other large cats, snow leopards do not growl. Instead, they emit a high-pitched howl, especially females during the breeding season. This sound allows females to notify males of their location and, as a rule, this happens late in the evening. Vocalizations are non-aggressive and the sound is produced through the nostrils of the animals. The presence of one snow leopard in close proximity to another produces this sound, and can be described as a greeting.

Snow leopards make high-pitched sounds and communicate their location. Their long tails used in a number of communication functions. Animals also use tactile communication, namely rubbing the head and neck of their social partner, which indicates a peaceful mood.

Another way of communication is facial expressions. For example, when defending, they open their jaws quite wide and lift their lips to expose their fangs. However, when they are friendly, they only open their mouth without exposing their fangs, and also wrinkle their nose.

Snow leopards, likewise, prefer to communicate through smells and other chemicals.

Nutrition

Snow leopards are carnivores and actively hunt for their prey. They are also opportunistic predators and will consume any meat to provide their body with the energy it needs. Snow leopards are capable of killing animals 3-4 times their weight, but if necessary they can consume much smaller prey.

The main animal that snow leopards feed on is nakhur (Pseudois nayaur). Other types of production are Siberian Mountain goat (Capra ibex sibrica), horned goat (Capra failconeri), argali (Ovis ammon), mouflon (Ovis orientalis), Himalayan tahr (Hemitragus jemlahicus), Sumatran serow (Capricornis sumatraensis), Himalayan goral (Naemorhaedus goral), red-bellied musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster), boar (Sus scrofa), orongo (Pantholops hodgsonf), Tibetan gazelle (Procapra picticaudata), goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa) and kulan (Equus hemionus). Small prey includes marmots (Marmota), hares (Lepus), pikas (Ochotona), gray voles (Microtus), mice and birds.

Due to overhunting by humans, the population of wild ungulates in certain regions has declined significantly, and snow leopards have begun to prey on livestock.

Threats

Snow leopards are predatory animals, so they have fewer threats from wild animals than from people. However, interspecific killing between leopards (Panthera pardus) and snow leopards can occur when competition for resources increases. Adults are also a potential threat to young animals.

In the last two decades, the population has declined by at least 20% due to habitat loss, prey, poaching and persecution. The main factor influencing population decline is human activity. Wool, bones and other body parts are of particular value to poachers. The skin is in great demand. Recently, their bones have become a popular substitute for tiger bones in Chinese medicine. Many farmers are responsible for killing snow leopards and risk losing their livestock.

Security status

Snow leopards are endangered. The number of individuals worldwide is estimated to range from 4,080 to 6,590 individuals.

Role in the ecosystem

Snow leopards are apex predators, meaning they play a key role in maintaining biodiversity in the ecosystem. They are an important indicator of health environment and help regulate populations of animals lower on the food chain.

Snow leopards can be recognized as indicator species, and this is important because it provides an opportunity to motivate the public to support ecosystem conservation. If snow leopard habitats are protected, many other animals will also have their habitats protected.

Video

Snow Leopard represents the cat family - it is a rather 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 occupies a fairly 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). This is where he spends a large number of time, namely its entire bright part.

At night, the snow leopard begins its hunt. It is carried out in the territory he has marked, and only extreme need can force him to go to the neighboring 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 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 the pleasures, lie down in a cozy place and enjoy the sun's rays.

Nutrition

The snow leopard's diet mainly consists of animals living in the mountains: , . But if it is not possible to obtain 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 will last a wild cat for several days.

In summer, 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

Mating season the snow leopard starts at spring period. 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 eat milk, and then a 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.

Latin name: Uncia uncia, Panthera uncia

English name: snow leopard

Order: carnivores

Family: felines

Genus: Uncia (snow leopards), has 1 species

The snow leopard is a member of the cat family that lives in the harsh climate of the mountains of Central Asia. Among all the big cats, the snow leopard is the only permanent resident of the highlands. The predator belongs to a genus that occupies an intermediate position between the group of small cats and big cats genus Panthera (tigers, jaguars, lions).

Appearance and anatomical features of the snow leopard's body structure

In appearance, the snow leopard resembles a leopard. Indeed, posture and overall dimensions predators are similar. The length of the flexible body of the snow leopard reaches 1 meter, and these cats weigh 25-40 kilograms. Male predators are slightly larger than females. Characteristic distinguishing feature snow leopard - a very long thick tail (length about 100 centimeters), as well as rather short limbs with wide paws (the length of the hind feet reaches 22-25 centimeters). The paw prints are large and round, with no discernible claw marks. Snow leopards' vision, hearing and sense of smell are well developed.

Interesting fact

Wide, fluffy paws with flat, large pads act as natural snowshoes and help large cats distribute their weight evenly so as not to fall through when walking on loose snow.

The coat color of snow leopards is light gray, with rare dark ring-shaped spots clearly visible. There are also small solid spots distributed throughout the body. Fur on the belly white. The top end of the tail is black. In young individuals, the color of the spots is more intense than in adult leopards. Geographical variability of fur color is not expressed. In general, the fur of snow leopards is very warm, thick and long (on the back the length reaches 5.5 centimeters). Soft fur grows even between the toes; it reliably protects large paws from the cold. All these signs indicate that snow leopards live in cold climates with harsh winters and are excellent jumpers.

In animals, on a relatively small, rounded head, large eyes of a yellowish-green hue with a round pupil are located quite high. Leopards' ears are short and rounded, and in winter they are almost invisible among the fur.

Like most other representatives of the cat family, adult snow leopards have 30 strong and sharp teeth in their mouths. The whiskers of leopards are white and black, up to 10.5 centimeters long. Mobile long tongue allows spotted cats to easily separate meat from the skeleton of the victim. The skull of these predators is relatively powerful and massive, distinguished by highly developed zygomatic arches.

Distribution area of ​​the snow leopard

When hunting, snow leopards can jump up to 10 meters in length.

Reproduction snow leopard

The period of active breeding of snow leopards occurs in the last month of winter and the beginning of spring. In hard-to-reach places, females specially create a comfortable, warm shelter for the birth of offspring. Pregnancy lasts approximately 90-110 days. A female snow leopard gives birth only once every two years. Depending on the geographical area of ​​their habitat, kittens are born in April-May or May-June.

Interesting fact

In Tibet and the Himalayas, snow leopards mate all year round. The mating song of the snow leopard resembles a rough, but at the same time gentle meow.

In one litter, 2-3 small snow leopards are born (less often 3-4). Babies are born blind and regain their sight in 5-8 days. Newborn snow leopards weigh approximately 500 grams, their body length is no more than 30 centimeters. The body of the cubs is covered with brown fur with pronounced dark spots. By appearance and size, newborns resemble domestic cats.

For the first 1.5-2 months, the brood feeds only mother's milk. Then the female begins to feed the kittens and meat food. At 3 months old, young snow leopards first try to follow their mother on a walk, and at five to six months of age they are already hunting with her. The whole family lies in wait for the prey, but the female always makes the decisive jump. The cubs accompany their mother until they are almost 1 year old, learning from her the difficult art of hunting in the highlands.

Young animals reach sexual maturity at the age of 3-4 years. The male meets the female only for the mating period and does not take part in raising the offspring. In the wild, snow leopards live 12-15 years, in zoos - up to 20 years.

Population status and conservation of snow leopards

The snow leopard is one of the endangered rare species and is listed in the Red Book International Union Nature Conservation (IUCN). According to 2003 data from the World Wildlife Fund, total number snow leopards within their distribution range do not exceed 7,500 individuals. However, due to the secretive lifestyle of these spotted predators and the inaccessibility of habitats, the population size estimate is approximate and based on expert opinions of zoologists.

The independent wildlife trade monitoring program TRAFFIC monitors the number of snow leopards in the wild. According to a 2015 report, there are only about 4,000 snow leopards left in the wild. Poachers kill spotted cats because they attack livestock. The report also notes that only 20% of snow leopards are destroyed for their beautiful warm fur, for the sale of skins, bones, claws and teeth. Illegal trade is growing every year. More than 90% of poaching cases occur in 5 countries - Mongolia, China, India, Pakistan and Tajikistan.

Interesting fact

Along with poaching, the defensive behavior of snow leopards negatively affects the population status. Predators use protective coloring of their fur and, in case of danger, often hide, which often leads to their death, since in open areas people kill animals from firearms. In addition, with an insufficient food supply, spotted cats can feed on the victims of other predators and die by eating poisoned baits, which poachers illegally use to fight wolves.

Snow leopard and man

In the wild, snow leopards have no enemies among animals. The population size of these predators is affected by a reduction in the food supply. The number of snow leopards is decreasing due to harsh living conditions in the highlands.

The only enemy of the snow leopard is man. Even though snow leopards are quite rare animals, they have always been a desirable trophy for hunters. Animal fur is highly valued. On the black market, the skin of one snow leopard costs tens of thousands of dollars.

Nowadays, hunting snow leopards is prohibited in many countries. However, poaching continues to threaten these big cats.

Interesting fact

Since the number of snow leopards in nature is small, and they live in sparsely populated regions, the harm of predators to livestock and hunting is quite insignificant.

All over the world, menageries contain several thousand representatives of the species Uncia uncia. Today, the captive population of snow leopards numbers about 2,000 individuals, most of them in China. Of this number, only 15% of snow leopards were caught in the wild, the rest were born in zoos and reproduction centers rare species animals. Snow leopards reproduce successfully in captivity. In such conditions, animals do not show aggression, but still remain wild cats and are not tamed.

Snow leopards, or snow leopards as they are also called, live high in the mountains. To get food for themselves, they often have to overcome great difficulties. Snow leopards, like all cats, are predators and their diet consists mainly of ungulates.

What do snow leopards (irbis) eat?

Snow leopards prefer to hunt prey that is larger than themselves or that matches their own size. A snow leopard can handle prey three times its own weight.

The main food of the snow leopard is: Siberian mountain goats, deer, deer, marking goats, blue sheep, roe deer, musk deer, argali, serow, gorals, Himalayan tars, takins, wild boars. In times of famine, leopards also hunt smaller prey, such as ground squirrels, hares, pikas, birds (pheasants, chukars, mountain turkeys).

When the number of ungulates in the territory where snow leopards live is significantly reduced, the animals move to regions where they can get their own food. Sometimes snow leopards attack livestock (goats, sheep and horses).

There was also a case recorded when two young snow leopards attacked a two-year-old bear cub. The outcome of this hunt was successful.

In summer, leopards eat plants in addition to their meat diet.

At one time, a snow leopard can eat no more than 2-3 kg of meat.

Snow bar on the hunt

How do snow leopards (irbis) hunt?

As a rule, a snow leopard quietly sneaks up on its prey and instantly jumps on it, overtaking it with a jump of 6-7 meters. Often when hunting, he climbs onto high rocks in order to throw his prey to the ground with an unexpected jump from above. If the animal misses when jumping, then it pursues the prey at a distance of no more than 300 meters or even leaves it alone.

Having overtaken a large victim, the snow leopard tries to grab it by the throat, and then strangle it or break its neck. The snow leopard carries the killed animal to its den or to another shelter, where it then eats it. He leaves the remains of food or remains near them and protects them from scavengers. It is not uncommon to see several snow leopards hunting together in late summer, autumn and winter. Such hunts are organized by the female together with her cubs, whom she teaches all the intricacies of the life of a snow leopard.

The leopard catches birds mainly near its den during the night.

The main prey of the snow leopard from ungulates are females and young animals, as well as old and sick individuals.

In its habitat, the leopard is the main predator and has virtually no competition.