Snow leopards have thick, smoky-grey fur covered with dark rosette spots. This pattern breaks up their outline against rocky slopes, making them almost invisible. Their coats are so thick that they can sleep comfortably in temperatures of −40°C — wrapping their long tail around themselves like a fluffy scarf.
Their enormous paws act like natural snowshoes, spreading their weight so they do not sink into deep snow. They have very powerful back legs that let them leap up to 9 metres in a single bound — that is about the length of a double-decker bus.
Snow leopards are solitary animals — adults mostly live alone and communicate by leaving scratch marks and scent on rocks. A mother will raise her cubs for about 18 months before they head off to find their own territory in the mountains.
Kazakhstan's mountains are important habitat for snow leopards, and conservationists work hard to protect them. Camera traps hidden on mountain trails sometimes capture blurry photographs — brief, ghostly proof that these magnificent cats are still out there, watching from the rocks.