If you are lucky enough to see this beautiful mountain cat, you will not forget such a moment until the end of life. We are talking about a miracle of nature called irbis.
Snow leopard, leopard - these are other names for this animal. Mountain and snow predators are named due to the fact that they live high in snow-capped mountains.
Irbis: animal description
Snow leopard belongs to large predators. Its weight is from 40 to 60 kg, body length is about 130-145 cm, add a meter tail to this. In shape, the animal leopard resembles a leopard or an ordinary domestic cat. Leopard paws are armed with narrow, sharp, curved claws. The limbs are so powerful that with their help the beast is able to jump over the gorge 9-10 m wide.
Wild cats irbis are distinguished by a beautiful "fur coat". Their coat is very long, lush, thick and soft to the touch. In such a robe, animals, even on mountainous frosty peaks, are protected from the cold. Usually, predators from the feline family of smaller sizes can boast of such a fur, so that 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 abdomen and the inside of the limbs are white. In the natural habitat, such an “outfit” helps the predator to disguise itself at the right moments. It is interesting that, despite the loud title of "predator", this cat is completely unable to growl, in moments of anger it hisses and rumbles, creating a semblance of a growl. During the rut, the snow leopard makes sounds resembling purrs. In captivity, leopards 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. The snow leopard 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. Snow leopard is found in the mountains of Central Asia, its range covers an area of more than 1230 thousand square meters. km In Russia, the leopard occupied about 3% of the total area.
Lifestyle
Snow Leopard is the owner and sole owner. This beautiful predatory “cat” occupies a certain territory, marks it, carefully defends it and protects it from uninvited guests. A single way of life, the animal irbis violates only during the mating season.
When a
wild cat checks the boundaries of its site, it always follows one route. She, like other representatives of the cat family, is difficult to move on loose snow. For this reason, predators lay paths along the snowy infusion, along which they move freely and quickly. There are practically no enemies among animals in such a powerful beast. When the year is hungry, the snow leopard can fight with packs of wolves for the right to possess 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 on the territory of a leopard site, it feeds without breaking the borders. If there is not enough food, a predatory cat goes in search of it, approaching at the same time human settlements and attacking livestock. Among the wild animals, the mountain handsome menu includes: goats, elks, 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 growth and strength.
Breeding
The animal snow leopard is a rare predator due to the slow breeding rate. Toddlers in these wild cats are not born every year, unlike other relatives. Puberty in snow leopards occurs at the age of three. Irbises arrange their weddings in early spring, the mating season takes place in March-April. After fertilization, the female leopard hatches the cubs for 100 days. In one litter there can be from one to five kittens.
Kids are born completely helpless. Newborn leopardics are blind and deaf, their weight is about half a kilogram. The mother-predator feeds the cubs with its milk for up to 4 months. When he turns 50-60 days old, the female begins to feed the crumbs with meat. Starting from the age of six months, kittens already accompany their mother on a hunt and learn this skill.
Interesting facts about the snow leopard
- 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 a predator can “fly over” a 10 m long gorge.
- A wild cat loves to play, especially frolic, to wallow in the snow.
- When meeting a person, he does not light up with aggression, he tries to leave and hide as soon as possible.
- About once every two weeks, a leopard kills one large animal and feeds on this carcass for about 3-4 days.
- It can migrate after wild goats up to 600 km.
On the brink of extinction
As mentioned earlier, the animal snow leopard, unfortunately, does not belong to numerous species. To the fact that the snow leopard was on the verge of extinction, led to the following reasons:
- Late puberty.
- Low breeding rates.
- The decrease in the number of main food of snow leopards - wild cloven-hoofed animals.
- The dispersion of habitats in the wild.
- Mass extermination of snow leopards due to their valuable fur.
It is good that now people change their minds and are engaged in the restoration and conservation of this type of wild cats. Irbis is listed in the Red Book as a predator on the verge of extinction. In almost all countries of the world, hunting for leopards is prohibited. Let's hope that the fauna of planet Earth will not lose such a beautiful representative as a snow leopard.