Snow leopards are famous for being almost impossible to spot. Their spotted coat blends so perfectly with rocks and snow that even experienced wildlife trackers walk right past them without noticing. Because of this extraordinary camouflage, they are sometimes called 'the ghost of the mountains'.
They are superb jumpers — a snow leopard can leap up to nine metres in a single bound, which is about the length of a bus. Their wide, padded paws act like snowshoes, spreading their weight so they do not sink into deep snow. Their long tail helps them balance on steep, rocky slopes.
Snow leopards are solitary and usually come out at dawn and dusk. They hunt animals like ibex and wild goats that live on the high mountain slopes. A snow leopard can drag a prey animal three or four times its own weight up a steep cliff to eat in peace — an astonishing feat of strength.
Snow leopards are rare and are protected across the whole of Central Asia. Conservation teams use camera traps — cameras triggered by movement — to count them without disturbing them. Every photograph of a wild snow leopard is a small celebration for the scientists involved.