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Sometimes couples have some problems. But the snow leopards of the Basel zoo only have small problems, don't worry!
This Bronx snow leopard is looking out through glass in what is usually far too shady a setting for any sort of dramatic capture. It is not often that any of the snow leopards come up to the glass. Even more rare are the occasions that one of the big cats looks through the glass at the people.
On this day everything fell into place and as an added bonus the rocky cliff where to snow leopards can usually be found was getting directly sunlight and acting as a reflector. That warm light on one side of the face made this photo an instant favorite of mine.
South Africa.
Western Cape
Tenikwa Awareness Centre www.tenikwa.com/
The leopard (Panthera pardus) is one of the five "big cats" in the genus Panthera. It is a member of the Felidae family with a wide range in regions of sub-Saharan Africa, West Asia, the Middle East, South and Southeast Asia to Siberia
Much better viewed LARGE
This is the first time I've been able to get good close ups of the female Amur Leopard. She usually hides behind rocks or underbrush, but it was feeding time and she was waiting for her dinner.
Taken through plexiglass.
This is Katia. Philly Zoo's male Amur Leopard, Krepke, can be seen here:
flickr.com/photos/moocat/986402917/
Amurs are the rarest big cat.
The snow leopard (Uncia uncia or Panthera uncia) is a moderately large cat native to the mountain ranges of South Asia and Central Asia. The classification of this species has been subject to change and its exact taxonomic position will not be resolved until further studies are conducted.
Snow leopards live between 3,000 and 5,500 metres (9,800 and 18,000 ft) above sea level in the rocky mountain ranges of Central and South Asia. Their secretive nature means that their exact numbers are unknown, but it has been estimated that between 3,500 and 7,000 snow leopards exist in the wild and between 600 and 700 in zoos worldwide.
Snow leopards are smaller than the other big cats but, like them, exhibit a range of sizes, generally weighing between 27 and 55 kg (60 and 120 lb), with an occasional large male reaching 75 kg (170 lb) and small female of under 25 kg (55 lb). Body length ranges from 75 to 130 centimetres (30 to 50 in), with the tail adding a further 80 to 100 cm (31 to 39 in) to that length. These cats stand about 60 cm (24 in) at the shoulder.
Snow leopards have long thick fur, and their base color varies from smoky gray to yellowish tan, with whitish underparts. They have dark gray to black open rosettes on their body with small spots of the same color on their heads and larger spots on their legs and tail. Unusually among cats, their eyes are pale green or gray in color.
Snow leopards show several adaptations for living in a cold mountainous environment. Their bodies are stocky, their fur is thick, and their ears are small and rounded, all of which help to minimize heat loss. Their paws are wide, which distributes their weight better for walking on snow, and have fur on their undersides to increase their grip on steep and unstable surfaces; it also helps to minimize heat loss. Snow leopards' tails are long and flexible, helping them to maintain their balance, which is very important in the rocky terrain they inhabit. Their tails are also very thick due to storage of fats and are very thickly covered with fur which allows them to be used like a blanket to protect their faces when asleep.
The snow leopard has a short muzzle and domed forehead, containing unusual large nasal cavities that help the animal breathe the thin, cold air of their mountainous environment.
Snow leopards cannot roar, despite possessing partial ossification of the hyoid bone. This partial ossification was previously thought to be essential for allowing the big cats to roar, but new studies show that the ability to roar is due to other morphological features, especially of the larynx, which are absent in the snow leopard. Snow leopard vocalizations include hisses, chuffing, mews, growls, and wailing.
One of a litter of 2 snow leopard cubs born to Himani (Mom) and Vijay (Dad) on 4/20/13 at the Cape May County Zoo in Cape May Court House, New Jersey. The male cub named Tushar moved to the Binghamton Zoo at Ross Park in Binghamton, New York on 4/16/14. The female cub named Ramani moved to the Roosevelt Park Zoo in Minot, North Dakota on 5/14/14.
She is staring somewhat mournfully at the hyena that has walked away with the impala carcass she expected to eat for dinner. She will not protest, and thus live to hunt as gain.
This beauty is the resident female at Marwell Zoo near Winchester, Hants.
The leopard (Panthera pardus) is a member of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four "big cats" in the genus Panthera; the other three being the tiger, lion and jaguar. Once distributed across southern Asia and Africa, from Korea to South Africa, the leopard's range of distribution has decreased radically due to hunting and loss of habitat, and the leopard now chiefly occurs in sub-Saharan Africa. There are fragmented populations in Pakistan, India, Indochina, Malaysia, and China.
Due to the loss of range and declines in population, it is graded as a "Near Threatened" species. Its numbers are greater than other Panthera species, all of which face more acute conservation concerns.
The leopard has relatively short legs and a long body, with a large skull. It resembles the jaguar, although it is smaller and of slighter build. Its fur is marked with rosettes which lack internal spots, unlike those of the jaguar. Leopards that are melanistic, either completely black or very dark, are one of the big cats known as black panthers.
The species' success in the wild owes in part to its opportunistic hunting behaviour, its adaptability to habitats and its ability to move at up to approximately 36 mph.
Snow Leopards are very endangered - native to Central and South Asia, there are less than 7000 left in the world, and fewer than 2500 of them will ever reproduce.......we have three at our Tauthaus Park Zoo (Mom and two young) in Idaho Falls, Idaho, where they have been successful at raising these healthy and very lively young cats. This one is very active when playing with its sibling, and they gave me some great shots this Summer watching them frolic just at dinnertime. What could possibly be any more beautiful than these gorgeous creatures? It is so sad that they may be gone from this earth in my lifetime.
Of all the 'big' cats the Leopard is the most adaptable; it can survive in semi-arid areas, in rocky uplands and grasslands as well as forests. It is able to feed on a wide variety of prey species up to the size of antelopes.
At Thrigby Hall in Norfolk they breed the rarest sub-species, the Amur Leopard from the Amur-Ussuri region linking Russia, China and Korea. There may be fewer than thirty left in the wild. These animals are a part of an international breeding programme.