BITS ‘N’ PIECES

Grey ghosts of Himalayas The snow leopard, known for its beautiful, thick fur, has a white, yellowish or soft gray coat with ringed spots of black on brown. The markings help camouflage it from prey. Snow leopards have light green or gray eyes, unusual for big cats that usually have yellow or gold eyesRare, elusive, and beautiful, snow leopards are known as “the grey ghost of the Himalayas.” Snow leopards are found at altitudes between 9,800 and 17,000 feet in the high, rugged mountains of Central Asia. Their range spans from Afghanistan to Kazakstan and Russia in the north to India and China in the east. China contains about 60 percent of snow leopard habitat. Snow leopards prefer to inhabit steep cliff areas, rocky outcrops and ravines. Such habitats provide them with the camouflage they need to ambush unsuspecting prey. With their thick coats, heavy fur-lined tails and paws covered with fur, snow leopards are perfectly adapted to the cold and dry habitats in which they live. They stalk their prey and usually spring from a distance of 20 - 50 feet. Their long and powerful hind limbs help snow leopards leap up to 30 feet, which is six times their body length.Snow leopards are solitary and elusive creatures that usually hunt at dawn and dusk. They’re stealthy predators, able to kill prey up to three times their own weight.Unlike other big cats, snow leopards are unable to roar. Between 1986 and 2017 the snow leopard was listed as an endangered species on the Red List of Threatened Species from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). However, in 2017 the species’ status was changed to “vulnerable”. Between 2,500 to 10,000 adult snow leopards remain in the wild, but the species continues to face daunting threats to its survival. The deadly snakeThe Neotropical Rattlesnake is kind enough to warn you when you are too close for comfort. All too often snakes are killed out of fear because we enter their world.When you see one, just take a step back and walk around because they are way more afraid of you. As predators within their natural habitats they play an important role in keeping vermin populations down. 

from The News International - US http://bit.ly/2V08oQp