Snow Leopards Camouflage Themselves So Well That Their Prey Can’t Even See Them

Snow Leopards are one of the most elusive creatures on the planet, and personally one of my favorite animals in the world. Their habitats are almost inaccessible by humans, and you have to endure freezing temperatures and rugged terrain once you even get there. Photos and videos of these magnificent creatures are pretty rare, and are celebrated when they are brought back for the world to see. The photographer who captured these incredible photos is named Inger Vandyke. She and a group of other photographers made the dangerous trek into the Indian Himalayas to try to track this camouflaged Snow Leopard in its natural habitat. This is a very difficult task to accomplish because a camouflaged Snow Leopard is almost completely concealed in its surroundings. Snow Leopards are also very stealthy creatures, which is one of the things that makes them so difficult to track and get close too. This group of photographers were able to endure the 17 days of freezing cold temperatures (sometimes as cold as -13F), and mountainous terrain to get some amazing photos of this elusive camouflaged Snow Leopard. The problem is that in some of them, they are almost impossible to spot! Snow Leopards conceal themselves so well in their natural habitat, that photographers will sometimes make the trip and not even be able to get pictures. Luckily for us, Inger Vandyke was able to capture some incredible ones and let the world enjoy them. You won’t want to miss these amazing photos of a camouflaged Snow Leopard.

Can you spot the Snow Leopard in this picture? It took me a while.

Try one more time. This one may be even harder than the first.

There you are! Snow Leopards have adapted to their environment better than almost any other animal. Their camouflage is so effective, even high-definition cameras can’t find them sometimes.

These big cats are some of the most beautiful creatures on the planet. I am awe every time I see a picture of one. Snow Leopards will stay concealed for a tremendously long time in order to track and stalk their prey.

When they finally emerge, they go in for the kill. The dexterity and balance it must take to be able to run full speed over these rocks is incredible.

Snow Leopards are excellent stalkers and hunters. They will track their prey for days, waiting for just the right moment to strike.

Sometimes though, even the best laid plans go awry.

This is clearly a look of disappointment and hunger. Photographer Inger Vandyke said that seven out of eight times this Snow Leopard attempted a kill, it was on the losing end.