WWF Maximum cards from Kyrgyzstan: snow leopard (Uncia uncia)

Beautiful feline, very elusive.

"Snow leopards are carnivores and actively hunt their prey. However, like all cats, they are opportunistic feeders, eating whatever meat they can find including carrion and domestic livestock. They are capable of killing animals three times their size but will readily take much smaller prey such as hares and birds.^[5]

The diet of the snow leopard varies across its range and with the time of year, and is dependent on prey availability. In the Himalayas it preys mostly on bharals (Himalayan blue sheep) but in other mountain ranges such as the Karakoram, Tian Shan, and Altai, its main prey consists of Siberian ibex and argali, a type of wild sheep, although this has become rarer in some parts of the snow leopard's range.^[4][13] Other large animals eaten include various types of wild goats and sheep (such as markhors and urials), other goat-like ruminants such as Himalayan tahr and gorals, plus deer, boars, and langur monkeys. Smaller prey consists of marmots, woolly hares, pikas, various rodents, and birds such as the snow cock and chukar.^{[4][5][13][14]}

It is not averse to taking domestic livestock, which brings it into direct conflict with humans. Herders will kill snow leopards to prevent them from taking their animals.^[5]

Snow leopards prefer to ambush prey from above and can leap as far as 14 meters (46 ft).^[15]"

^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_leopard}

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^{What do you know about Kyrgyzstan? :)}

^{It's OK - welcome to the club.}

^{But we can have fun learning, can't we?}

^{"The 40-rayed yellow sun in the centre of the flag represents 40 warriors of the mythical hero Manas. The lines inside the sun represent the crown or tündük (Kyrgyz түндүк) of a yurt, a symbol replicated in many facets of Kyrgyz architecture. The red portion of the flag represents peace and openness of Kyrgyzstan."}

^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyrgyzstan}