What is a snow leopards main prey?
What do snow leopards eat? Snow leopards are capable of killing prey up to three times their own weight. They eat blue sheep, Argali wild sheep, ibex, marmots, pikas, deer and other small mammals. The animals which snow leopards typically hunt—such as the Argali sheep—are also hunted by local communities.
How does a snow leopard hunt its prey?
They stalk their prey and usually begin their attack when they are 20 to 50 feet (6-15 m) away. The snow leopard’s broad paws act as snowshoes and give them traction as they chase their prey across the stone, snow, and icy surfaces.
What do snow leopards eat?
Snow Leopard’s Prey. The Snow Leopards prey depends on their location. Their main prey are sheep and goats. Snow Leopards take about 3-4 days to eat their prey. They stay near the animal to keep other animals like vultures from stealing it. They rip off pieces every couple hours until all that is left are the bones.
Why are snow leopards often killed by farmers?
Snow leopards are often killed by local farmers because they prey on livestock such as sheep, goats, horses, and yak calves. The animals which snow leopards would typically hunt—such as the Argali sheep—are also hunted by local communities. As their natural prey becomes harder to find, snow leopards are forced to kill livestock for survival.
What kind of habitat do snow leopards need?
If snow leopards thrive, so will countless other species. The Ukok Plateau natural park provides critical habitat for the snow leopard and many other species, including the argali mountain sheep, dzeren antelope, black stork and steppe eagle. The sole predator of snow leopards?
What is the weight of a snow leopard?
Males may reach a weight of 130 kg ( Fedosenko and Blank, 2001 ); it is reported to be the main snow leopard prey in Mongolia ( Bannikov, 1954; McCarthy, 2000 ), Russia and the Central Asian countries ( Heptner and Sludskii, 1972) and Chinese Tien Shan ( Schaller et al., 1988 ).