Central Asian snow predator. Snow Leopard. Scottish wild cat
Big cats are the largest members of the cat family. And yet the main criterion for belonging to big cats is not size, but structure.
So, big cats include the lion, tiger, jaguar, leopard, snow leopard and clouded leopard, but not such species as the cougar and cheetah.
Let's get to know these most beautiful and graceful predators in the wild.
a lion
A lion. King of beasts. One of four representatives of the genus Panthera, belonging to the subfamily big cats. It is the second largest cat after the tiger - the weight of males can reach 250 kg. But in terms of shoulder height, the lion is the champion among all cats.
This species originally evolved in Africa about 800,000 - 1 million years ago.
The appearance of a lion is very characteristic: males are much larger than females and have a luxurious mane up to 40 cm long. No other cat has anything like it. The mane visually enlarges the lion, and also helps to intimidate other males and attract females who prefer "men" with more luxurious hair.
Both the lion and the lioness have a fluffy tuft at the end of the tail - a “tassel” about 5 cm long. At birth, it is absent and begins to appear at about 5 months of age. 
The color of the lion is usually yellow-gray in various shades, the mane is the same color as the skin, but it can be dark, even black. 
At the end of the 20th century, evidence of the existence of white lions appeared. Prior to that, for hundreds of years, they were considered the fruit of legends wandering around South Africa:
These are very rare cats: 
Lions are super predators, i.e. occupy in the food chain top position. However, besides humans, there is another predatory animal that can pose a threat to a lion - this is a crocodile. In a collision, these two species are capable of inflicting very serious injuries on each other. Lions are able to attack crocodiles when they come out onto land, while the oldest reptiles attack lions when they enter the water. 
Unlike other cats, they do not live alone, but in special family flocks - prides. Hunting and getting food is usually done by females, who act in groups. Males are engaged in the protection of the territory, expelling uninvited guests from them. Another reason why males do not hunt is the mane, which can interfere with camouflage. The fangs of a lion are 8 cm long, so these cats are able to kill fairly large animals. Despite the fact that lionesses are very sharp teeth, prey in most cases is killed by strangulation 
In nature, lions live from 10 to 15 years, in captivity they can live more than 20 years. True, males rarely live more than 10 years, since constant fights with other lions significantly reduce their life expectancy. 
Unfortunately, these big cats are classified as vulnerable species due to the irreversible decline in their population. Over the past 20 years, the number of lions in Africa has decreased by 35-50%. 
Jaguar
This is the third largest cat in the world, and the largest cat in the New World. One of four members of the Panthera genus. The body length without a tail is usually 120-185 cm, and in some cases the weight is up to 120 kg. The record in nature is 158 kg. In the Guarani language, yaguara means "a beast that kills with one leap." 
The oldest remains of the jaguar date back to the late Pliocene (about 2 million years). According to morphological features, the jaguar is most closely related to the leopard, it is very similar to it, but larger and heavier. 
The main body color of the jaguar is closer to sand. Spots are scattered over the body, which are darker than the general background of the body: solid, rings and rosettes. There are also completely black jaguars that look like panthers: 
Unlike lions, the lifestyle of jaguars is solitary. Like all cats, jaguars are territorial predators; The hunting area of one jaguar occupies 25-100 sq. km, depending on the landscape and the amount of prey, and is usually a triangle. 
The jaguar is a crepuscular predator. He hunts after sunset and before dawn. The main prey of the jaguar are capybaras and ungulates like deer, bakers, although it also hunts turtles: its powerful jaws can even bite through the shell. When attacking, this cat tries to injure the victim with the strongest blow at the time of the fall. This is a one-shot hunter: if the prey takes off running, the jaguar never pursues it. 
The jaguar's main hunting method is ambush in a tree or in tall grass. Also, prey will not be able to escape in the water - jaguars are excellent swimmers. 
In a significant part of its former range, this species is almost or completely exterminated. The jaguar is included in the international Red Book. 
Snow Leopard
Irbis, or snow leopard lives in mountain ranges Central Asia. This is a rather large cat, but smaller than a leopard, with a long, flexible body, relatively short legs and a very long tail. Length with tail - 200–230 cm, weight - up to 55 kg. Recent studies show that snow leopards were distributed probably from 1.2 to 1.4 million years ago. 
The color of the fur of the snow leopard is light smoky gray with circular and solid dark spots. Since the irbis is an inhabitant of the high rocky mountains of Central and Central Asia, its coat is very thick, its length on the back reaches 55 mm - it provides protection from cold, harsh habitat conditions. So, in the Himalayas, the snow leopard was met at an altitude of 5400-6000 meters above sea level. 
Snow leopards lead a solitary lifestyle. In a territory with a low amount of prey, an area of \u200b\u200b1,000 square kilometers, only up to 5 cats can live. The snow leopard's lair suits in caves and clefts of rocks. 
The snow leopard is able to cope with prey three times its mass. He hunts in most cases before sunset and at dawn, attacking from behind a shelter. The snow leopard tries to grab a large prey by the throat, and then strangle it. 
Currently, the number of snow leopards is catastrophically small. In the XX century, this cat was listed in the Red Book International Union Nature Protection (IUCN) and in the Red Book of Russia. 
Leopard
The leopard is another representative of big cats, significantly inferior in size to the lion and tiger, one of the four representatives of the panther genus. Outwardly, it looks like a jaguar, reduced in size. Body length without tail - up to 190 cm, weight - up to 75 kg. According to fossil remains, the first ancestor of the leopard appeared in Asia as early as 3.8 million years ago. 
The skin of the animal is a golden background, on which black spots are randomly scattered or in the form of rings. Usually the color of the fur is paler and duller in winter than in summer. As in the case of the jaguar, in nature (usually in South-East Asia) there are melanistic leopards, which are called black panthers. Leopard is perhaps one of the most graceful and beautiful cats. 
The leopard is a solitary and nocturnal animal. He climbs trees so deftly that sometimes he even catches monkeys. However, the leopard hunts mainly on the ground, using two techniques: sneaking up on prey and waiting in ambush. 
To prevent the prey from getting to the hyenas, the leopards drag it into the trees. The area of the hunting area of a leopard can reach 400 sq. km. depending on the region, topography and abundance of prey. 
Like lions and tigers, there are cannibals among leopards; usually these are old or sick individuals, unable to hunt their usual prey. Man for this predatory cat is a very easy target. So, in the 20s of the 20th century, the “Rudraprayag cannibal” was operating in India. On account of this leopard was 125! cases of officially registered murders of people. 
For many nations, the leopard is a symbol of cruelty, ferocity, aggressiveness, fearlessness. Unfortunately, the leopard is an endangered species. In the XX century, it was included in the IUCN Red Book, in the Red Book of Russia. 
clouded leopard
The clouded leopard is a large cat that lives in Southeast Asia and vaguely resembles a leopard. This is a fairly ancient species, as well as a possible ancestor of the current large cats. 
The clouded leopard is the smallest "big cat": its size is approximately the size of a shepherd dog. Body length - 80–100 cm, weight - up to 21 kg. characteristic feature this cat is a long tail.
Small but toothy: 
Clouded leopards are found in southeast Asia and live alone. Among cats, clouded leopards are the best at climbing trees, even better than the leopard itself. They wait for their victims (deer, wild boars, monkeys and birds) on the branches and suddenly attack from above.
The pattern on the coat of a smoky leopard is unusual: large, unevenly shaped black spots are scattered on a yellowish background. The entire species is classified as endangered. 
Tiger
The tiger is the largest and heaviest cat and one of the largest land predators, second in mass only to the white and brown bears, one of the four representatives of the panther genus. Already about 2 million years ago, tigers were widespread in eastern Asia. 
Tiger subspecies vary greatly in size and weight, but the largest are the Bengal and Amur. Males can reach up to 2.4–2.8 meters in length without a tail and weigh up to 275 kg, and in some cases up to 300–320 kg. Record in captivity - 423 kg Amur tiger. For comparison, the weight of lions usually does not exceed 250 kg with approximately the same length. 
The entire body of the tiger is covered with stripes that vary in color from brown to completely black, and the tail always ends with a black tip. 
Due to mutation, there are very rare animals in nature - white tigers. The frequency of their appearance is one individual per 10,000 with normal coloration. This bengal tigers with black and brown stripes on white fur and blue eyes. Zoos now contain 130 white tigers: 
An even more rare discoloration is gold. There are only 30 golden tigers in zoos around the world: 
Tigers are solitary and territorial predators. The territory of one male is usually 60–100 sq. km. During the hunt, tigers use two techniques: sneaking up on prey, moving with short cautious steps, often falling to the ground, and waiting in ambush. 
During the attack, the tiger can reach speeds of up to 60 km / h on almost any terrain, as well as jump to a height of up to 5 meters and 9-10 meters in length. Sometimes the prey weight of this powerful cat is 6-7 times higher than its own. 
These majestic cats are also endangered species. In the XX century, it was included in the IUCN Red Book, in the Red Book of Russia. 
Predators, the hunting of which previously had an independent, mainly sporting interest, are now either under protection in most Asian countries because of their rarity, or they are hunted in order to regulate their numbers. An exception is the wolf: its numbers are large in places, the damage done to agriculture and hunting economy, as well as the health of the population - is significant, so it is being fought. 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.
The number of 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, are the Persian lion and turanian tiger, - disappeared, and the cheetah was 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 the Caspian (Turanian) tigers, who once inhabited the expanses of Asia from Afghanistan to Eastern Turkey, lived in the modern territory of the Central Asian republics and Kazakhstan, are no longer left in nature. 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 heads.
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 was 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.
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 brink 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
Found in the rocky mountains of Central Asia, snow leopards are perfectly adapted to a cold, desert high-mountain home.
Unfortunately, they have become the subject of widespread hunting for their fur. Now there are about 4000 - 6500 left in the wild.
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
mysterious and a little wild cat, which lives only on the island of Borneo. 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. On this moment less than 2500 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 wild cat species 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 longest legs of any cat (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, though 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 the clouded leopard, this cat is much smaller and has a distinctive bushy tail. The main threat to this cat is believed to be the destruction of its forest habitat throughout Southeast 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", this is a 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 occurred in the Kruger Canyon in South Africa.
23. Anatolian leopard
For over 30 years, this Turkish leopard was considered extinct. In 2013, a shepherd in the southeastern province of Diyarbakır shot big cat who threatened 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 people have turned much of its natural habitat into agricultural land.
25. Scottish wild cat
26. Black-footed cat
0 620
In some regions of Kazakhstan, there is a unique animal that lives only in rare hard-to-reach regions the globe. He became state symbol Republic, and is also depicted on the coat of arms of Almaty. This is a snow leopard.
Irbis - snow leopard, or snow leopard (lat. Uncia uncia, according to another classification Panthera uncia) - a large predatory mammal from the cat family that lives in the mountains of Central Asia. The irbis is distinguished by a thin, long, flexible body, relatively short legs, a small head and a very long tail. Reaching a length of 200-230 cm together with the tail, it weighs up to 55 kg. The leopard has a very beautiful fur color - light smoky gray with ring-shaped and solid dark spots. Due to the inaccessibility of habitats and the low density of the species, many aspects of its biology and life activity still remain poorly understood. At present, the number of snow leopards is catastrophically small, in the 20th century it was included in the IUCN Red Book, in the Red Book of Russia, Kazakhstan and other countries. Currently, hunting for snow leopards is prohibited worldwide.
Exclusively Asian look
The range of the snow leopard in central and southern Asia covers approximately 1,230,000 km² of mountainous regions and extends through following countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar, Bhutan, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
On the Dzungarian Alatau, it is found at an altitude of 600-700 meters above sea level. On the Kungei Alatau ridge in summer, the snow leopard is occasionally found in the belt spruce forest(2,100 - 2,600 meters above sea level) and especially often in the Alpine (altitudes up to 3,300 m above sea level). In the Trans-Ili Alatau and the Central Tien Shan, in summer, the snow leopard rises to heights of up to 4,000 meters. However, the snow leopard is not always an alpine animal - in a number of places it lives year-round in the area not high mountains and in the upland steppe at an altitude of 600-1,500 meters above sea level, keeping to rocky gorges, cliffs and outcrops where goats and argali live.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, the total number of the species within the entire range is estimated at approximately 3,500 to 7,500 individuals. Another 2,000 or so snow leopards are kept in zoos around the world and successfully breed in captivity.
In Kazakhstan, there is a peripheral northern part of the snow leopard habitat, represented by 100-120 individuals. The Red Data Book of Kazakhstan reports that in the last century the leopard was common in the Tien Shan, in the Dzungarian Alatau and rare in Tarbagatai, Saur, and Southern Altai. In the 50-60s. XX century, since the intensive development mountainous areas Zailiysky Alatau by a man, the number of snow leopards began to decrease.
In 2010 in Ile-Alatau national park, according to its workers, 42-46 snow leopards lived. In the same year, Zhumakhan Yenkebayev, then director of the Almaty Reserve, reported 26 snow leopards living there. Patsenko Aleksey, who works as an inspector of the operational service of the Medeu branch of the Ile-Alatau NP, said that at present (in 2013) about 15 snow leopards live in his jurisdiction surrounding Almaty from the south. According to him, old individuals of the snow leopard can descend to the upper limit coniferous forest along the slope of the Kumbel peak, towering over the southern capital, just 15 kilometers from the one and a half million metropolis (!). This is a stunningly unique case of the leopard living in such proximity to large human settlements.
In relation to a person, the snow leopard is very timid and, even when wounded, attacks a person in exceptionally rare cases. Only a wounded beast can be dangerous for a person. On the territory of the CIS, only two cases of snow leopard attacks on humans were recorded: on July 12, 1940, in the Maloalmatinsky gorge near Alma-Ata, an snow leopard attacked two people during the day and seriously injured them. He was killed, and during the study turned out to be sick with rabies. In the second case, in winter, also not far from Alma-Ata, an old and severely emaciated toothless snow leopard jumped from a cliff onto a passing person.
“The main reason for the decline in the number of snow leopards is the intrusion of human activity into the mountains. Because of this, both predatory animals and those that serve them as food leave their places,” says Aleksey Patsenko. According to him, the main food of the snow leopard is mountain goats - tau-teke, of which there are about 1,000 in the Medeu branch, and mountain marmots. Old individuals of the leopard, going down to the forest, hunt deer, spruces and wild boars.
In 2013, Ust-Kamenogorsk biologists Oleg and Irina Loginov established the Snow Leopard Fund, an environmental fund designed to help preserve the snow leopard by creating an attractive image of this animal in society and promoting it as a living symbol of Kazakhstan. They published the book “Snow Leopard. The symbol of the heavenly mountains.
In the same year, residents of Kazakhstan became the authors of a petition addressed to UNESCO, with an appeal to the whole world to save the snow leopard. It was initiated by the activists of the environmental movement "Let's protect Kok-Zhailau!", who are rooting for the preservation of the ecosystem of the Ile-Alatau National Park.
State symbol of Kazakhstan
The leopard is a sacred symbol of the Kazakh people and their ancestors, for whom this mysterious and rare animal was a totemic animal and an indispensable character in works of fine art made in the famous Scythian-Altaic animal style.
The snow leopard has become the official symbol of Kazakhstan, proposed by President Nursultan Nazarbayev in his Message to the People - Strategy 2030. In the chapter "Mission of Kazakhstan" there are such historical lines: "By 2030, I am sure, Kazakhstan will become the Central Asian Leopard and will serve as an example for other developing countries."
In 1999, the Kazakh order "Barys" of three degrees was established. In 2000, in the series "Commemorative coins of Kazakhstan from silver" with a circulation of 3,000 pieces, a coin "The Red Book of Kazakhstan: Snow Leopard" with a face value of 500 tenge was issued. His image can be seen on the Kazakh banknote of 10,000 tenge of the 2003 model, and on the Kazakh postage stamp.
The symbol of the Winter Games held in Kazakhstan Asian Games the leopard was also chosen, or rather, the leopard Irbi. And the hockey team of Astana, successfully playing in the KHL, bears the name "Barys" with dignity.
The snow leopard of the Zailiysky Alatau even became the main character in feature film"Tiger of the Snows", filmed by Larisa Mukhamedgalieva and Vyacheslav Belyalov at the Kazakhfilm studio in 1987.
Handsome man on the coat of arms of Almaty
In 1993, thanks to the remarkable artist Shaken Niyazbekov, the author of the flag of Kazakhstan, the leopard began to show off on the coat of arms of Almaty. The uniqueness of the symbolic image southern capital lies in the fact that the beast depicted on the coat of arms without a threatening pose and claws extended is probably the only heraldic symbol of the leopard in the world, personifying peacefulness. And the flower in his teeth is a symbol of the prosperity of Kazakhstan and the city, which was then the capital of the state.
Irbis, or snow leopard, or snow leopard is a large predatory mammal from the cat family that lives in the mountains of Central Asia. The irbis is distinguished by a thin, long, flexible body, relatively short legs, a small head and a very long tail. Reaching a length of 200-230 cm together with the tail, it weighs up to 55 kg. The color of the fur is light smoky gray with ring-shaped and solid dark spots. Due to the inaccessibility of the habitat and the low density of the species, many aspects of its biology are still poorly understood. At present, the number of snow leopards is catastrophically small, in the 20th century it was included in the IUCN Red Book, in the Red Book of Russia, as well as in the security documents of other countries. As of 2012, snow leopard hunting is prohibited.
The general color of the main background of the winter fur is very light, grayish, almost white, with a smoky coating, more noticeable along the back and upper sides, while a slight light yellowish tint can be developed. This coloration perfectly camouflages the beast in natural environment its habitats are among dark rocks, stones, white snow and ice. The general background of summer fur is characterized by a lighter, almost white color and sharp outlines of dark spots. Smoky coating of fur is less pronounced in summer than in winter. There is information, requiring further confirmation, that with age, the spotted pattern on the skin fades, becoming even more blurry and obscure. In young individuals, the spotted pattern is more pronounced, and the color of the spots is more intense than in adults. There is no sexual dimorphism in coloration. The geographical variability of color in the snow leopard is not expressed or, if it exists, it is very insignificant. The absence of a clearly defined geographic variability determined by the relatively small range of the species. The irbis is an extremely stenotypic species and adheres to identical conditions and habitats throughout its range. The head is relatively small and rounded in relation to the size of the body. The ears are short, bluntly rounded, without tassels at the ends, almost hidden in the fur in winter. The mane and sideburns are not developed. Vibrissae are white and black, up to 10.5 cm long. The eyes are large, with a round pupil. The skull is relatively powerful, with tubercles and ridges, strongly developed zygomatic arches, but less massive and heavy than that of other representatives of the Panthera genus. Length of male skulls 18-19 cm, condylo-basal length 16.5-17.3 cm, zygomatic width 12-13.5 cm, interorbital width 4.3-4.7 cm, rostrum width above canines 4.8-5 .3 cm, the length of the upper dentition is 5.8-6.3 cm. An adult snow leopard, like most other felines, has 30 teeth. On the upper and lower jaws, 6 incisors, 2 canines; on the upper jaw - 3 premolars and 1 molar; on the lower jaw - 2 premolars and 1 molar. The long and movable tongue is equipped with special tubercles on the sides, which are covered with keratinized epithelium and allow you to separate the meat from the victim's skeleton. These bumps also help with "washing". The tail is very long, exceeds three-quarters of the body length, covered with long hair and therefore seems very thick (visually its thickness is almost equal to the thickness of the snow leopard's forearm). Serves as a balancer when jumping. The limbs are relatively short. The paws of the snow leopard are wide and massive. The claws on the paws are retractable. The tracks are large, round, without claw marks. The snow leopard, unlike other big cats, cannot roar, despite incomplete ossification of the hyoid bone, which was thought to be what allows big cats to roar. New studies show that the ability to growl in cats is determined by other morphological features larynx, which are absent in the snow leopard. Despite the structure of the hyoid apparatus as in big cats (Panthera), there is no invocative "roar-growl". "Purring" occurs both during inhalation and exhalation - as in small cats (Felis). The methods of tearing the prey are like those of big cats, and the position when eating is like that of small ones.
Search
We may notify you of new articles,