New worry for Snow Leopards (1 Viewer)

Apologies to those unable to view BBC content.

Leopards and Snow Leopards have been found sharing the same habitat leading to worries for the long term survival of the supposedly less adaptable Snow Leopard.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-38610862


A

I read a brief report that tigers in Bhutan also expanded the range up the mountains and are found together with snow leopards. I would be interested to hear more. Personally I doubt this overlap is a recent development. These places were not surveyed well (or at all) before.

jurek said:

I read a brief report that tigers in Bhutan also expanded the range up the mountains and are found together with snow leopards. I would be interested to hear more. Personally I doubt this overlap is a recent development. These places were not surveyed well (or at all) before.

Click to expand...

I remember seeing part of a documentary of the same thing. From memory, the Tigers were going up to at least 4500m, also in Bhutan. I think they were filmed on trail cams set up to film snow leopards.

Regardless of evidence of Tigers or Leopards at higher altitudes and their adaptability or not to colder temperatures than their jungle and lowland counterparts, oxygen is seriously depleted at those altitudes, and I wonder whether they would hit a genetic barrier that the snow leopard has evolved to handle. One wonders what the genetic limits to low oxygen environments are, and how quickly they could evolve. Life certainly is hard work at altitude. I remember curling up on a sunny rock at ~4700m and wanting to go to (what would have been a permanent) sleep, until some kindly Sherpa insisted on forcing some electrolyte down my gullet! :eek!:

I also wonder whether Tigers and Leopards at those altitudes is a natural occurrence, or a forced response to conflict with humans and habitat destruction?

Thanks for sharing the article Andy - beautiful pictures - beautiful animals ....


Chosun :gh: