photo © Angus Fraser
An Elusive Cat
Photo credit: Angus Fraser
The most elusive of the Big Cats, the Snow Leopard’s exact numbers can only be estimated, ranging from 3,500 to 7,000 cats. Because of their remote and inhospitable range, it is even possible their numbers are much higher. No one knows.
In the High Country
Snow Leopards live in the high country, usually far above treeline, where, in winter, the land is enshrouded with snow. Cats follow ridgelines and valleys as they hunt for game and seek mates.
Cat Tracks
The track of a Snow Leopard may be the only indication one is present, or had passed sometime during the night. In the mating season, their eerie yowls echo across the valleys, but for much of the year they are as silent as their mountain heights.
Limited Prey
Prey diversity is limited in the high, dry elevations of the Himalayas. Marmots, Pika, Ibex, and several species of wild sheep comprise their diet. In winter, Snow Leopards follow the sheep herds, which seek open areas free of snow.
Blue Sheep
Blue Sheep are a favorite prey, although their well-camouflaged coats make them difficult to spot from any distance. Snow Leopards must cover a lot of territory to encounter sheep and risk losing any kills they make to the Gray Wolves that also hunt this rugged landscape.
The Gray Ghost
The Snow Leopard is known as “the Gray Ghost” for well-deserved reasons. Its camouflage is superb, perhaps the best of all the Big Cats, and one can disappear before your eyes when it moves into a rocky slope.
Patience is Key
We waited for hours for this Snow Leopard to continue its stalk of an injured Blue Sheep as the sun disappeared behind the towering mountains. Cats have a greater chance of success after dark, but the outcome of this hunt remains unknown.
Small Herds
Blue Sheep travel in small herds, providing protection to the group, with plenty of sharp eyes always on the alert. Herds move constantly as they seek the limited forage of this mountain desert.
Balance and Warmth
The tail of a Snow Leopard is long and thickly furred and serves a vital role in maintaining balance when a cat bounds down or across a near vertical slope when in pursuit of sheep. On cold nights, the tail may also be used to cover the leopard’s snout for warmth.
A Wide-Ranging Trek
Photo credit: Angus Fraser
Snow Leopards range widely, and in summer may climb to 15,000 feet as they hunt Marmots and Sheep. In winter, marmots hibernate and sheep move down to lower elevations. The Leopards follow, although both remain high above treeline in most areas.
Snow Leopards range widely, and in summer may climb to 15,000 feet as they hunt Marmots and Sheep.
Mountain Gift
We spent an entire day watching this Snow Leopard when it was only a shimmering lump of fur on a distant mountain slope. Shortly before dark, the Snow Leopard rose and walked toward us until only a steep gorge separated us, giving us a truly prized mountain gift.
Shortly before dark, the Snow Leopard rose and walked toward us . . .