Snow predator of Central Asia. The most beautiful and graceful predators are big cats (40 photos). Population status and conservation of snow leopards

And you know what on this moment Are there 41 types of cats in the world? They are all wild. Absolutely all predatory. Many of the species and subspecies are on the verge of extinction. In this article I would like to show all the diversity and beauty of the cat family. But first, I would like you not to get confused in terms.

So, all cats belong to the order of predators, and then this order is divided into two suborders: canines and felines. Cats include hyenas, mongooses, viverrids, and felids. They are all very distant relatives, but cats are only those who are part of the cat family!

The entire cat family is divided into subfamilies: small cats and big cats.

Each subfamily is in turn divided into genera. Especially a lot of them in the subfamily of small cats:

Genus Cheetahs (Acinonyx)
- genus Caracals (Caracal)
- catopuma genus (Catopuma)
- genus Cats (Felis)
- genus Tiger cats (Leopardus)
- genus Servals (Leptailurus)
- genus Lynx (Lynx)
- genus Marble cats (Pardofelis)
- genus Asiatic cats (Prionailurus)
- genus Golden cats (Profelis)
- genus Puma (Puma)

In the subfamily of big cats, everything is simpler:

- genus Clouded leopards (Neofelis)
- genus Panther (Panther)

Now that we have determined which family cats belong to and divided them into subfamilies and genera, it remains to divide them into species! And just these species are 41 pieces. Each type is shown below.
Most likely, you will try to find among all the species below your domestic cat breed or, for example, the Far Eastern leopard. And you won't find them. Why? Because your house cat, like far eastern leopard, belong to subspecies.

To make it easier for you to understand what a subspecies means, I will show you with an example where your domestic cat is in the chain:

Family - felines / subfamily - small cats / genus - cats (felis) / species - forest cat / subspecies - your breed of domestic cat

And the Far Eastern leopard is here:

Family - felines / subfamily - big cats / genus - panther (Panthera) / species - leopards / subspecies - Far Eastern leopard.

I will describe the subspecies separately, otherwise this article will turn into such a long one that only a cat maniac like me can read it at once!

Well, now let's finally get acquainted with all types of cats and admire them:

Subfamily - Small cats (Felinae)

genus - Cheetahs (Acinonyx)

species - cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus):

genus - Caracals (Caracal)

view - :

genus - catopums (Catopuma)

view - Kalimantan cat (Catopuma bada):

View - Asian golden cat (Temminka cat) (Catopuma temmincki):

genus - Cats (Felis)

View - Chinese cat (Gobian gray cat) (Felis bieti):

View - reed cat (House) (Felis chaus):

View - ):

View - (Felis margarita):

View - :

View - forest cat (Felis silvestris). This is just the subspecies of the forest cat - your domestic cat:

View - steppe cat (Felis libyca):

genus - Tiger cats (Leopardus)(not to be confused with leopards!)

View - :

View - pampas cat (Leopardus colocolo):




view - Geoffroy's cat (Leopardus geoffroyi):

View - Chilean cat (kodkod) (Leopardus guigna):

View - Andean cat (Leopardus jacobitus):

View - ocelot (Leopardus pardalis):

View - oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus):

View - long-tailed cat (margay, margay) (Leopardus wiedii):

genus - Servals (Leptailurus)

View - :

genus - Lynx (Lynx)

view - Canadian lynx(Lynx canadensis):

View - lynx(lynx lynx):

View - :

View - red lynx (Lynx rufus):

genus - Marble cats (Pardofelis)

- Marble cat (Pardofelis marmorata):

genus - Asian cats (Prionailurus)

- Bengal cat (Prionailurus bengalensis):

View - Iriomote cat (Prionailurus bengalensis iriomotensis):

View - Far Eastern forest cat (Prionailurus bengalensis euptilurus):

View - Sumatran cat (Prionailurus planiceps):

View - spotted red cat (Prionailurus rubiginosus):

View - fishing cat (Prionailurus viverrinus):

genus - Golden cats (Profelis)

view - :

genus - Cougars (Puma)

view - puma (Puma concolor):

The snow leopard, or irbis, (Uncia uncia Shreber, 1775) is listed in the IUCN Red List (2000) as "endangered" (the highest protection category is EN C2A). Few had a chance to see this mysterious and peculiar inhabitant of the mountains. Getting to it is not so easy: you need to walk for a long time on steep slopes and deep snow high up - not everyone can do it. Yes, most likely, he will notice the person first and, like a ghost, will disappear behind the mountain range. And when descending, a jump of 15 meters for him is in the order of things. Scientists are in seventh heaven if they get a chance to see snow leopard, or snow leopard, in his native environment a habitat.

This typical member of the feline family used to be called a leopard, but this is not true. He is not quite a close relative of the leopard, although he looks like him, especially with the same annular and small solid black spots on a smoky gray skin. On the sides of the animal, the general background of coloration is lighter than on the back, and on the stomach and inside legs are white. Occasionally there are black and white leopards.

The fur of the snow leopard is longer than that of the leopard: soft, fluffy and extremely thick. On the stomach reaches 12 centimeters. Irbis do not emit a loud inviting roar, characteristic of large cats, but purr like small ones.

From head to tail, the snow leopard measures 140 cm, the tail itself is 90-100 cm long. If we compare the length of the tail and body, then of all the cats, the snow leopard has the most a long tail, it is more than three quarters of the body length. Weight adult snow leopard can reach 100 kg. The length of the jump during the hunt is up to 14 meters. The range of the snow leopard includes parts of the territories of 13 states: Afghanistan, Burma, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.

Among large felines, the snow leopard is the only permanent inhabitant of the highlands, personifies the majestic, mysterious and harsh world of the mountains of Central Asia. Occupying the upper trophic level in ecosystems, it can serve as a kind of flagship species in relation to the conservation of the entire animal world of the Central Asian highlands.

The snow leopard is national symbol Republic of Kazakhstan. Also, the image of a leopard is used in the coat of arms of the city of Alma-Ata. A stylized winged snow leopard is depicted on the coats of arms of Khakassia (khak. paris) and Tatarstan (tat. Ak Bars - white leopard), this is the name of the Kazan hockey team. Irbis can also be seen on the emblem of the city of Bishkek, the capital of the Kyrgyz Republic. Shushensky district Krasnoyarsk Territory has an image of a snow leopard on its coat of arms. Writer Nikolai Anov, an employee of the newspaper "Dzhetysuyskaya Iskra", cites a curious case of how a snow leopard descended from the Alatau mountains and made a commotion in new year's eve 1927: “... A spotted leopard climbed into the house of an inhabitant. A riding horse was tethered at the gate. The owner turned it to the owner for a few minutes, and when he left the house, the horse was gone. The leopard, clinging to the horse's mane, raced on an animal distraught with horror through the deserted streets.

Any cat deserves love, affection and a dignified attitude, as well as in general any animal on the planet. It doesn't matter if it's a cute little pussy or a big and intimidating cat. Each of these 26 wild breeds is on the verge of extinction.

1.Asian cheetah

Once this beautiful breed lived in the territories of Kazakhstan, the Middle East and Central Asia, as well as in some regions of India.

Today, due to total destruction environment, countless poachers and hunters, there are only about 100 left in the world Asian cheetahs. Just look at this number! All this hundred found refuge in the territory of Iran.

2. Snow leopard

Inhabited in rocky mountains Central Asia, snow leopards are perfectly adapted to the cold, desert highland home.

Unfortunately, they have become the subject of widespread hunting for their fur. Now left in wild nature about 4000 - 6500 .

3.Cat angler

Unlike my cat, who hates wet feet, the angler cat is a skilled swimmer who lives along rivers and streams in mangrove swamps.

In 2008, the angler cat was listed as a critically endangered species, as they live primarily in wetlands, which are now declining very rapidly.

4. Borneo bay cat

A mysterious and slightly wild cat that lives only on Borneo island. Cutting down trees has become a threat to the habitat of these cats, now they are listed in the Red Book. This is one of the few high quality photos of this cat.

5. Flathead cat

With a slender body and a uniquely shaped head, this cat loves to eat fish and go for walks on its own. Listed in the Red Book since 2008 due to habitat destruction. There are currently less than 2,500 left.

6. Cat of the Andes Mountains

This cat is one of two hundred individuals that have been found on earth.

7. Iberian (Spanish) lynx

The Iberian lynx is considered the most endangered species. wild cats in the world, and is one of the rarest mammals on the planet.

Myxomatosis wiped out rabbits in Spain (lynx's main food source) in the 1950s. Now there are about 100 lynxes left in the wild.

8. Cat Manula

These adorables love to spend their time in caves, crevices, or marmot burrows, and emerge at the end of the day to start hunting. Due to the degradation of the habitat as well as the decline of the food base of the cat, it has been under threat since 2002.

9.Margi

Margi is ideal for tree life. It is the only cat that can rotate its hind legs 180°, allowing it to work head down in trees like a squirrel. He can also hang from a branch with one back foot! Over 14,000 Margic are killed annually for their skins. Margs breed only once every 2 years, and the mortality rate of kittens is 50%.

10.Serval

This cat loves to roam African savannah, and has the most long legs among cats (in relation to body size). Unfortunately, they have become the target of hunting for their skins, which are sold to tourists as "cheetah" or "leopard".

11. Caracal

Also known as the "desert lynx", this cat can produce a barking sound that is possibly used as a warning.

11. African golden cat

It has only recently become possible to obtain a photo of this secretive nocturnal inhabitant.

This is a small wild cat, about twice the size of a domestic cat. Although their lifespan is unknown in the wild, they can live up to 12 years in captivity.

13. Asian golden cat

This cat loves to hang out in tropical and subtropical wet, evergreen and dry deciduous forests. Deforestation and hunting for skin and bones are the reasons why this cat is endangered.

14. Sand cat

This unique cat has a broad head and fur that grows between its toes to protect it from hot surfaces. It is endangered, so hunting for it is prohibited in many countries.

15. Amur leopard

Due to extensive loss of habitat and conflicts with humans, Amur leopards are endangered, there are about 30 of them left in Russia and China.

16. Sumatran tiger

This tiger is the last of the tigers in Indonesia to survive in the wild.

Despite the intensification of the policy law enforcement and the fight against poaching, yet this species is dying out. Less than 400 individuals remain in the wild.

17. Clouded leopard

Clouded leopard is considered an evolutionary link between big cats and small ones. They are under threat of habitat loss due to massive deforestation and commercial poaching for the wildlife trade. Less than 10,000 adults remain.

18. Marble cat

Often mistaken for clouded leopard but this cat is much smaller and has a distinctive fluffy tail. The main threat to this cat is believed to be the destruction of its forest habitat throughout South-East Asia.

19. Leopard cat

This is the first wild cat to be successfully used in a hybrid breeding program resulting in a beautiful and friendly Bengal breed.

20. Maltese tiger

Also known as the "blue tiger", it is very rare tiger one might even say mystical. At the moment it is not known whether there are still living individuals in the wild.

21. Golden Tiger Tabby

The tiger's name does not refer to its species, it is the result of captive breeding of the tiger in the early 1900s.

22. White lion

Not albinos, they are a genetic rarity that happened in the Kruger Canyon in South Africa.

23. Anatolian leopard

For over 30 years, this Turkish leopard was thought to be extinct. In 2013, a shepherd in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır shot down a large cat that was threatening his livestock. Biologists later confirmed that it was an Anatolian leopard. Although it ended sadly, it gives hope that this species may still exist.

24. Red spotted cat, rusty cat

20-30 inches long including tail, and weighing 2 to 3.5 kg, is the smallest wild cat in the world! We know almost nothing about this secretive cat. Unfortunately, this cat was included in the list of "vulnerable" species, because most of it natural environment Habitats have been turned into agricultural land.

25. Scottish wild cat

26. Black-footed cat

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Member of the cat family is majestic and beautiful predator. It has been badly damaged by human activity. It was systematically destroyed because of the valuable fur. At the moment - this animal is listed in the Red Book.

Appearance of the snow leopard

In appearance, the leopard strongly resembles a leopard. The length of the leopard's body reaches a meter, weight is from 20 to 40 kg. The leopard has a very long tail almost the same length as the body. The color of the coat is light gray with dark gray spots, the belly is white.

The animal has very thick and warm fur, which grows even between the fingers to protect the paws from cold and heat.

Snow leopard habitat

The predator lives in the mountains. Prefers the Himalayas, Pamir, Altai. They inhabit areas with bare rocks and only in winter time can descend into the valleys. Bars can climb up to 6 km and feel great in such an environment.

These animals prefer to live alone. They live mainly in caves. Predators do not conflict with each other, as they live far from each other. One individual can occupy a fairly vast territory, which other leopards do not stumble upon.

In Russia, these animals can be found in mountain systems Siberia (Altai, Sayans). According to a census conducted in 2002, up to two hundred individuals live in the country. At the moment, their number has decreased several times.

What does a snow leopard eat

Snow leopards are hunting on the inhabitants of the mountains: goats, rams, roe deer. If it is not possible to catch a larger animal, they can get by with rodents or birds. In summer, in addition to the meat diet, they can eat plant foods.

The predator goes hunting before sunset or early in the morning. A sharp scent and coloring help him track down the victim, thanks to which he is invisible among the stones. He sneaks up unnoticed and abruptly jumps on the prey. Can jump from a high rock to kill even faster. Leopard jumps can reach 10 meters in length.

If it is not possible to catch the prey, the animal stops hunting for it and looks for another prey. If the prey is large, the predator drags it closer to the rocks. At a time, he eats several kilograms of meat. He throws away the rest and never returns to them.
In times of famine, leopards can hunt near settlements and attack pets.

Snow leopard breeding

The mating season of snow leopards falls in the spring months. At this time, males make sounds similar to meowing to attract females. The male takes part only in fertilization. The female is responsible for raising the young. The pregnancy lasts three months. The female equips a lair in the gorges of rocks, where she brings kittens into the world. Usually leopards give birth to 2-4 babies. Children are born covered with brown fur with dark spots, appearance and are similar in size to domestic cats. Little leopards are absolutely helpless and need mother's care.

For up to two months, kittens feed on their mother's milk. Upon reaching this age, the female begins to feed the children with meat. They are no longer afraid to leave the lair and can play at its entrance.
At three months, the children begin to follow their mother, and after a few months they hunt with her. The prey is hunted down by the whole family, but the female attacks. Snow leopards begin to live independently at the age of one year.

Snow leopards they live a little: in captivity they can live for about 20 years, while in the wild they barely live up to 14 years.
These predators have no enemies among wild animals. Their numbers are affected by the lack of food. Due to the harsh living conditions, the number of leopards is decreasing. Man is considered the only enemy of the leopard. The fur of these animals is very valuable, therefore, despite the fact that this is a rather rare animal, hunting for it was quite common. At the moment, hunting for it is prohibited. But poaching still threatens him. Snow leopard fur is valued at tens of thousands of dollars on the black markets.

Zoos around the world contain several thousand representatives of this species. Successfully breed in captivity.
Very little information has been obtained by researchers about snow leopards. It is rare for anyone to see it in the wild. Only traces of leopards living in the mountains can be found.

Snow Leopard belongs to rare and endangered species and is under protection in many countries. For many peoples of Asia, this predator is a symbol of power and strength. On the coats of arms of many Asian cities, you can see the image of a leopard.

Predators, hunting for which previously had an independent, mainly sports interest, now in most Asian countries is either under protection because of their rarity, or they are mined in order to regulate the number. An exception is the wolf: its numbers are large in places, the damage done to agriculture and hunting, as well as to the health of the population, is significant, therefore, a struggle is being waged against it. In the Asian part of Russia, for example, there are at least 40 thousand wolves. In the 1979 season, 18,462 predators were destroyed, including 11,395 in Kazakhstan and 5,590 in the RSFSR.

There are many wolves in Mongolia, where 4-4.5 thousand predators are shot annually, in the northern regions of China, in the countries of Central Asia, etc.

The number of the jackal almost everywhere has thinned due to the destruction of tugai, cutting down bushes, and draining reed beds. In the USSR, the production of this predator decreased from 36.1 thousand in 1949 to 15,266 in 1979. The main populations of the jackal are in Turkmenistan, where its production exceeds 4 thousand individuals per year.

population brown bears in the Asian part of Russia, as we have already noted, is significant, and they are quite intensively hunted for sport, but since the hunters keep the skins for themselves, it is impossible to establish the actual volume of prey of these predators. In Japan, bears are shot throughout the year as dangerous animals for the forest. Their average annual production for 1953-1974. amounted to 19 814 heads, including 5267 brown, 14 546 black. During the hunting season, 755 predators are hunted, the rest are destroyed during extermination measures. The maximum number of bears is shot in the prefectures of Hokkaido (5267 per year), Gifu (2388), Nagano (1686), Fukui (1135). In Mongolia, 100-200 brown bears are harvested per year.

Many rare species and subspecies of Asian bears are protected: white-clawed in the Tien Shan, black - in Primorye, panda - in southern Asia, etc.

The situation is unfavorable with most representatives of the cat family, especially with such large and attractive predators for the hunter as the lion, tiger, leopard, snow leopard, cheetah. They are heavily exterminated and are almost everywhere taken under protection. For example, in Iran, until relatively recently, 9 species of cats lived; to date, two of them, the largest - the Persian lion and the Turanian tiger - have disappeared, and the cheetah has been under the threat of destruction for a long time. A similar picture is typical for most Asian countries.

The lion survived only in India, in the Gir forest reserve, where these predators were introduced. Their number in the reserve has increased from 177 to 200 in just three years. Two more lion reserves have been created in the vicinity of Hotdarabad and not far from Bombay.

In the last decade, according to scientists, the number of tigers worldwide was 4,000 individuals, compared to 100,000 at the beginning of this century. The smallest subspecies of the tiger, the Balinese, inhabiting the island of Bali, is completely exterminated. Perhaps there are no more Caspian (Turanian) tigers left in nature, who once inhabited the expanses of Asia from Afghanistan to Eastern Turkey, living on modern territory Central Asian republics and Kazakhstan. Several hundred heads of the Sumatran tiger have been preserved, a few of the Chinese, about 250 individuals of the Siberian (Amur). Relatively numerous are Indonesian (2,000) and Indian or Bengal (about the same) tigers.

Many countries are taking measures to protect and restore the number of tigers. However, this task is very difficult, since Lately not hunting - main enemy large predators, but the destruction of their habitats, the reduction in the number of wild ungulates, the main "food base" of predatory animals. In the Soviet Union, thanks to many years of efforts, it was possible to increase the number of Amur tigers from a few dozen to 200-250 animals.

In India, since 1973, the government, with the support of the international community, has been implementing a tiger conservation project in the country. It includes measures to create nature reserves, protect tiger habitats and increase the number of wild ungulates. As a result, over the past 5 years, tiger populations have increased, their population density has become the highest in protected areas. In 1977, there were 2278 tigers, 628 of them in the reserves. The number of wild ungulates in the main habitats of the predator also increased: sambar from 803 to 1107 heads, axis from 8477 to 14800, wild boar - from 1171 to 2703 heads.

Similarly, the problem of protecting and restoring the population of other large predators - leopard, snow leopard, cheetah - is being solved. Working with the first two species, and especially with the snow leopard, is complicated by the fact that it is very difficult to enforce bans on prey in the high-mountain, hard-to-reach habitats of these predators. Moreover, the snow leopard is most often shot by shepherds, whose herds he allegedly attacks (the actual damage to domestic animals from the snow leopard is insignificant); as early as 1973, leopards were hunted in significant quantities in China. Only one of the southern provinces received 3 thousand leopard skins. Hundreds of skins of this predator, exported from China, were seen in 1974 in Hong Kong. The cheetah has been placed in an almost hopeless situation by a sharp reduction in the number of lowland ungulates - goitered gazelle, gazelles, since it was fed mainly by hunting them.

In the latest report "Facts about furs" mentioned above, it is stated that in 1977-1978. 4,391,625 skins of wild fur-bearing animals were exported from Asian countries, and only 390 thousand skins are indicated by species, the rest are described as “other”. Analyzing these data, it can be established that they do not include approximately 93 thousand wild cat skins and 75 thousand ermine skins. According to well-known statistics, more than 9,120 thousand fur skins are harvested in Asia. Of course, these are the minimum figures, reflecting only a part of the actual volume of production of fur-bearing animals in Asia.