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Well-camouflaged snow leopards can be nearly impossible to spot in their mountainous surroundings, but can you spot the elusive ‘ghost cats’ in these stunning images?
Ismail Shariff, 41, is a wildlife photographer who specializes in capturing these secretive creatures in their natural environment.
Mr. Shariff’s collection of images were taken over the past eight years in the Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh, India. The jigsaw puzzle images of him have earned him the title: the snow leopard man of India.
Can you spot the snow leopards in the following images?
A rock outcrop in the Spiti region of Himachal Pradesh, India. Can you spot the elusive snow leopard in this image?
The global population of snow leopards is estimated to be between 3,500 and 7,000, according to the Snow Leopard Conservancy India Trust. The big cats are hiding somewhere in this image.
The snow leopard can spend up to 18 hours a day resting or sleeping, according to the Snow Leopard Trust. How many of the rare mountain creatures can you find in this image?
Himachal Pradesh, in the western Himalayas, offers high snow-capped mountains, deep gorges, densely forested valleys, and large lakes. The snow leopard has thick gray and yellow-tinged fur, which helps it blend in with its surroundings.
Mr Shariff said: “Seeing them in their natural environment in the world requires a trained eye, but every time I do, it’s like seeing one for the first time.”
He admits that even while leading a snow leopard photography expedition, he still had trouble spotting them, despite his experience.
Snow leopards scale the steep slopes of Central Asian mountains, blending into the landscape. They are threatened by habitat loss and degradation from climate change and human encroachment, retaliatory killings as a result of human-wildlife conflict, prey reduction, and poaching.
Snow leopards are found in a large swath of the high mountains of northern and central Asia, including the Himalayan region.
In the Himalayas, the majestic cats live in high alpine areas. They live in 12 countries around the world, including China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Russia, and Mongolia.
The mysterious ‘ghost cats’ are known for their characteristic meows, growls and moans. The magnificent creatures purr when they exhale.
Often solitary, leopards, however, join forces to hunt in pairs, usually mating pairs. They prey on wild animals such as Himalayan blue sheep, Himalayan tahr, argali, and feral goats.
However, the beasts have been known to attack domestic livestock as well, which means they can fall prey to angry farmers.
Snow leopards are almost impossible to spot for the untrained eye, but once you see them you can see how good their camouflage is.
Revealed: Did you find the creatures circled below?
There are four snow leopards in the image. It is rare to see even one of these beautiful creatures.
Snow leopards easily scale the great and steep sides of the mountains of Central Asia, blending into the landscape. Here, two of the big cats can be seen camouflaged against their surroundings.
Snow leopards face many threats, including habitat loss and degradation from climate change and human encroachment, retaliatory killings as a result of human-wildlife conflict, prey reduction, and poaching. Did you see these two creatures in the image above?
Snow leopards are found in 12 countries, including China, Bhutan, Nepal, India, Pakistan, Russia, and Mongolia. There are six amazing snow leopards in this photo.