How does the snow leopard use its long tail? (6 photos + 2 videos)

The snow leopard has the longest tail among cats. And often in photographs you can see him with this very tail in his mouth. We explain this and tell other facts about the highest mountain cat in the world.





Typically, cats like to climb higher - this way they feel safe and can observe those around them. The snow leopard, also known as the snow leopard, or snow leopard, will give all cats a head start in this sense. This wild spotted cat has chosen the rocky mountains of Central Asia to live: it is found at an altitude of 1500-6000 meters above sea level in the Tien Shan, Pamir, and Himalayas. There are only a few thousand snow leopards in the world, and everywhere they are protected by the state.



Camera trap hunting. (c) Sayano-Shushensky Nature Reserve

Due to the inaccessibility of their habitats, not much is known about snow leopards, and one of the mysteries is related to their tail. In photographs from nature reserves and zoos, this wild cat is often depicted with its tail in its teeth.

Why does he need such a tail?





Oh, ponytail! This is my?

The snow leopard is not a very large cat - less than a meter long and weighing about 50 kg. It is smaller than a leopard, much smaller than a tiger, and even slightly smaller than a forest lynx. But this is without a tail. His tail is really gorgeous: massive, fluffy and reaches the size of the body in length. This is the longest tail among cats! And he needs it not for beauty, but for survival. Running over rocks and gorges requires a certain skill and grace. And it is the tail that helps the snow leopard maintain its balance and balance in the mountains.

Just watch how the leopard runs along the steep cliffs! He doesn't even look at his feet.

To keep your nose from freezing

In moments of rest, the leopard, like an ordinary cat, curls up into a ball and takes its fluffy tail into its mouth. One of the reasons he does this is to keep warm. It’s cold in the mountains, and although the snow leopard grows a warm “fur coat” for winter, it’s still warmer with a fluffy tail. Females also cover newborn kittens with their tail to keep them warm.



Sometimes snow leopards take their tail in their teeth while walking. The fact is that it is heavy, and the cat gets tired of walking with its tail as it flies away.

For fun



So small, but already a snow leopard.

The tail is not only a “blanket” and a “rudder”. The mother cat uses her tail both to teach her kittens hunting skills and to play. When a snow leopard is bored, it can entertain itself by hunting its own or someone else's tail. They also love to roll around in the snow and ride down the slides.

Snow leopards generally have a very playful character, and reserve cameras regularly record young cats playfully attacking each other at the most unexpected moments. For example, like these young leopards of the Sayano-Shushensky Nature Reserve:

 

Interestingly, snow leopards cannot growl loudly, only purr, like domestic cats. Listen to how they do it.