Another example is the appearance of two snow leopard cubs in Pittsburgh Zoo, which caused a great sensation among local big cat lovers. More and more news makes us feel that there are really many snow leopards.
Two snow leopard cubs at Pittsburgh Zoo.
Actually, this is not our illusion. After years of vigorous protection, the snow leopard has been in this state of existence for a long time since it was listed as an endangered species by IUCN in 1972. However, the data up to 20 16 show that the survival state of the snow leopard seems to be no longer so fragile, and the minimum number of wild individuals is estimated to be 4678.
Considering comprehensively, the expert group will change the endangered level of snow leopard from? Endangered? Adapt? Fragile? So some people say that the snow leopard is finally safe, will not be extinct, and does not need to be protected vigorously. But is this really the case? Although their endangered degree has declined, it does not mean that they are safe.
Coincidentally, after so many years of protection, the endangered level of giant pandas has also changed from? Endangered? Down to? Fragile? At that time, many people felt that the protection of giant pandas was not that great. In fact, this level of decline is easy to give people who don't understand an illusion, as if their living conditions have become much better, so there is no need to worry too much.
However, in fact, the number of snow leopards is still decreasing every year. In some areas, it has even become extinct regionally. In other areas, the actual number may be less than estimated. According to Pakistani data in recent years, the number of wild snow leopards in some areas of China is probably lower than estimated.
snow leopard
Beautiful? Snow Mountain Spirit? Snow leopard is a very beautiful big cat. If you choose some of the most beautiful animals from nearly 40 kinds of cats, I personally think that Snow Leopard will definitely be on the list, although it dare not claim to be the first. Snow leopards mainly live in mountainous areas with an altitude of 3000-4500 meters, so they have thick and fluffy hair to keep out the cold. Their fur is gray, with black spots on their heads and necks, large rose stripes on their bodies, and white fur on their bellies without stripes.
Snow leopards' eyes are mostly light green or gray, but cubs can see elegant blue eyes. Because they live in cold areas all the year round, their nasal cavity is short but wide, so they can breathe in more air every time, and cold and dry air can become warm and moist in the nasal cavity. Snow leopard looks short and fat, with strong plush feeling, short legs and large soles, which is convenient for walking on thick snow. A long, thick tail is good for storing fat and helping balance.
Snow leopard can live in cold and oxygen-deficient mountainous areas mainly because its body structure has evolved to adapt to the environment. There is a lot of hemoglobin in its blood, and the concentration of hemoglobin is very high. It is very sensitive to the change of oxygen and has highly developed skills in regulating breathing and distributing blood. Even if you live in an oxygen-deficient environment for a long time, it will not cause harm to your body.
In fact, if you carefully observe the characteristics of snow leopards, you will find that many of their structures are suitable for living in this environment. For example, their ears are small and round, which can minimize the loss of body heat; There is fur on the bottom side of the wide sole, which can not only improve the grip when climbing, but also reduce the heat loss when walking in the snow.
According to different living areas and morphological differences, snow leopards were previously thought to have two subspecies, one living in Central Asia, Mongolia and Russia, and the other living in the Himalayas and western China. However, from the genetic point of view, there is no difference between the two snow leopards, so there are differences in the division of snow leopard subspecies in international academic circles. It is also considered as a single type species, which means that a taxon contains only one pattern.
In September, 20 17, a research report based on geographical distribution showed that snow leopards should be divided into three subspecies, corresponding to the populations living near Pamirs, around Himalayas and Mongolia. We don't have to dwell too much on this, as long as we know that there is such a situation.
On the snowy mountain, snow leopard is a predator at the top of the food chain, which is of great significance to the high altitude ecosystem and an important indicator to measure the health of the plateau ecosystem. Snow Mountain Spirit? The title of.
Is it opportunism? Hunters? Although it is found to eat carrion, it actively kills prey more times. Snow leopard has a wide range of food sources, and it eats almost all animals at high altitude. Of course, its favorite prey is ungulates such as rock sheep, argali sheep and Himalayan Tar sheep.
Don't look at the snow leopard? Bloated? But very flexible, it likes to ambush its prey from above the rocks. After the prey enters the ambush ring, it will quickly jump down and chase the prey on the steep hillside. Bite your neck and kill people? Take care of your prey.
Himalayan taer sheep
Snow leopard is no longer endangered, but it doesn't mean? Is it safe? As mentioned earlier, the endangered level of snow leopard ranges from? Endangered? Adjust to? Fragile? State, what is this concept? Here we will briefly introduce the endangered categories.
Although there are many classification standards and titles at home and abroad, they are all similar. At present, the standard system of IUCN is recognized all over the world. According to the degree of extinction risk, it can be divided into 9 grades, namely unexplored, lack of data, harmless, low-harmful, fragile, endangered, extremely endangered, wild extinction and extinction.
You can tell from ninth grade. Are we there yet? Extinction? There is little room for recovery at this level. There are many species at this level, such as? Bag wolf? ; Where is the South China Tiger in China? Extinction in the wild? At this level, it shows that the existing individuals are in the environment of artificial breeding, and the wild individuals are gone.
There are many criteria for evaluating endangered and vulnerable groups. To put it simply, the number of snow leopards in mature individuals is less than 2,500, and the decline rate is very fast, so it can be judged as? Endangered? Yes; However, the number of individuals in the whole species is less than 10000, and the population has decreased by at least 10% in the three generations, so it can be judged as? Fragile? .
Although at present, the two factors mentioned above have not been achieved, such as the mature individuals number is higher than 2500, and the rate of decline has slowed down a lot, which is something to be happy about, but this does not mean? Is it safe? In fact, the number of wild individuals of snow leopard is still declining, but the speed is not as fast as before, and it still faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
The habitat of snow leopard seems to be very concentrated in the big environment, mainly distributed in Central Asia and its vicinity. But if we divide them into various habitats, we will find that they are independent and very fragmented, and there is no ecological channel between habitats, which makes the snow leopard more fragile.
The distribution area of snow leopard
At present, the estimation of the number and distribution area of snow leopards is not very high, even more inaccurate than other animals, because snow leopards are mysterious cats, living far away from human living areas, so it is not easy to witness and observe them.
Due to the lack of reliable technology, many survey results refer to local descriptions, and such answers are often subjective, which leads to a great deviation between facts and estimates. In addition, Dr. McCarthy of the IUCN assessment team pointed out in the statement that Snow Leopard's? Demote? Doesn't mean it's just ... Is it safe? However, they still face a high risk of extinction in the wild.
Some experts, scholars and animal protectionists say that the reduction of endangered species may weaken the protection of snow leopards in some countries that are highly dependent on pasture economy and reduce the crackdown on snow leopard crimes.
The survival status of snow leopards Snow leopards are only distributed in Central Asia and its nearby 12 countries, among which the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau is the main one, radiating the surrounding areas. Thirty years later, there are still a large number of wild snow leopards in the world, and their distribution in Inner Mongolia even extends to the southern section of Daxinganling, the yinshan mountains and Alashan.
However, in the past few decades, due to the fragile ecosystem, poaching and poaching in the plateau area, the number of wild snow leopards has been greatly reduced, and now it is at least 20% lower than that of 20 years ago. The following are some specific data in recent years:
In 2003, the number of wild snow leopards was estimated to be 4080-6500; In 20 10, the number of wild snow leopards is estimated to be 4500-7500; In 20 13 years, the number of wild snow leopards is estimated to be 3920-6390; In 20 16, the number of wild snow leopards is estimated to be 4678-8745. Distribution: China 4500, Mongolia/KOOC-0/000, India 5/KOOC-0/6-524, Afghanistan 50-200, Bhutan/KOOC-0/00-200, Tajikistan 250-280, Kazakhstan/KOOC-0/00-6544. Because of the gorgeous appearance, beautiful fur and warmth, poaching and habitat destruction are the main reasons for the large number of snow leopards in the past for a long time. Only during the period of 1990-20 12, 432 snow leopards died from poaching, accounting for about 8 1% of the unnatural death rate of snow leopards.
In addition, due to the destruction of habitats, the prey of snow leopards is reduced, and the conflict between humans and snow leopards will also intensify. Snow leopards go down the mountain to prey on livestock, and humans retaliate. This situation also led to the death rate of snow leopards as high as 19%.
Throughout the Great Himalayas, snow leopards live at high altitudes and are generally far away from humans. Coupled with the efforts of these years, the overall downward trend of the snow leopard population has slowed down a lot, and even there has been an upward trend in some areas. However, in some areas, the number of snow leopards is still declining rapidly, and even many areas have almost reached the point of regional extinction.
For example, in some areas of Kyrgyzstan, due to the development of mining industry, the habitat of snow leopard has been seriously affected; For example, countries such as Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and Bhutan have not cracked down on the trade in snow leopard body parts, and the seizures are low.
Mining affects the survival of snow leopards.
The number of snow leopards has been decreasing for a long time, and it is still decreasing. According to experts' estimation, the number of snow leopards will still decrease for a long time to come, and the whole population will decrease by about 10% by 2040.
Of course, the protection of snow leopards in recent years is not in vain. On the contrary, it is the protection of human beings that makes the endangered degree of snow leopard decline. At present, snow leopards all over the world basically live in protected areas, such as Sanjiangyuan, Qilian Mountain, Mount Everest and other national nature reserves in China, Gurbansaihan National Park in Gobi of Mongolia, Annapurna National Reserve in Nepal and Nandawei National Park in India.
Natural scenery of Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve
Threats to Snow Leopard Although snow leopards are very precious, countries have made great efforts to protect them, at present, poaching and poaching are still the biggest threats to snow leopards.
In fact, people sometimes kill snow leopards not just for their fur. With the global crackdown on crimes against tigers and the limited trade in tiger products, snow leopard bone has replaced tiger bone as one of the main sources of medicine. Driven by interests, many people take risks.
In the past, 23-53 snow leopards were illegally hunted in Pakistan, 34-53 in Mongolia, 20-25 in Tajikistan, 2 1-45 in India and 0/03-236 in China, which is not difficult to understand. After all, the main habitat of snow leopard is in China, with a large base, so this figure is naturally higher.
Snow leopard's fur
Of course, in addition to poaching and poaching, there are also retaliatory killings that directly lead to the death of snow leopards. A report shows that in some Central Asian countries, the existence of snow leopards has brought great troubles to local herders. Because snow leopard is a very powerful predator, it can kill prey three times heavier than itself, so snow leopard will kill herdsmen's cattle and sheep from time to time, and sometimes even go directly into the sheepfold to kill all the sheep. This tragic situation is probably beyond the understanding of the owner's family.
Especially in some remote areas, friction often occurs between humans and snow leopards, and the final result is that snow leopards are killed by revenge.
Sheep killed by snow leopard
Snow leopard is a top predator at high altitude, located at the top of the food chain. Relatively speaking, it requires more environment than other animals at the bottom of the food chain, and the environment has a greater impact on the snow leopard, while the plateau ecosystem is fragile, so one of the biggest threats facing the snow leopard is the loss and destruction of its habitat.
For example, in the eastern Himalayas, the habitat of snow leopard is gradually eroded by human beings, which leads to the loss of its habitat and the decrease of its prey. Will it get worse? A leopard? Conflict. Coupled with the development of animal husbandry, mining, infrastructure and other industries, the living space of snow leopards has been further compressed, and the final result is the decline of the number of snow leopards.
Climate change brings new challenges to snow leopards. The culprit may sometimes be the climate. A new study found that global warming will accelerate the extinction of snow leopards. Snow leopard is a plateau species, and it is covered with snow for most of the year. Compared with the severe cold, snow leopard can't stand the heat.
Its thick fur can protect the body from losing temperature, but it can also make its temperature too high. In summer, the sun is strong, and snow leopards usually rest under rocks during the day until the temperature drops suddenly at night.
With the increase of global temperature, the habitat where snow leopards live will retreat to higher altitudes. Experts estimate that this retreat is about 30%, which means that the snow leopards in these 30% habitats will be seriously affected by climate change in the future, and the worst result is regional extinction.
In the past 20 years, the temperature in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the main habitat of snow leopards, has risen by 3 degrees Celsius, and the temperature in the mountainous areas of Central Asia is also rising. The rise of temperature will affect water supply, runoff change, water quantity change, vegetation distribution, etc., thus affecting the whole ecosystem and eventually shuffling the species and distribution of local animals and plants, with unpredictable consequences.
The rising global temperature has a great influence on snow leopards. In addition to some foreseeable hazards and potential hazards mentioned above, it also brings new challengers to Snow Leopard.
In some habitats of snow leopards, leopards and other wild animals have been living. For example, in the vast forests east of the Dadu River in Sichuan and west of the Minjiang River, snow leopards have lived in peace with giant pandas and leopards for millions of years. It stands to reason that these three animals are beasts, and there will be some friction in the same habitat. Why can they live in peace? This is because their micro-habitats are different.
The red area in the figure is the area with * * * *.
In the macro environment, the living areas of snow leopard, giant panda and leopard do overlap, but in the micro habitat, their relationship is not great. Simply put, snow leopards live in high altitude areas and leopards live in low altitude areas. Pandas like mountains with big trees, but they are also below the forest line, so they seldom meet, especially between leopards. Once they are in the same place, their eating habits are almost the same.
Distribution difference of snow leopard and leopard in micro-habitat
The warming temperature is the chief culprit to break this balance. As the temperature rises, the forest line will move up, and the chances of leopards meeting snow leopards will be much greater. In fact, this kind of thing has been happening slowly.
2065438+February 2006, people photographed the leopard and snow leopard at an altitude of 4000 meters in Gongga Mountain, Sichuan.
Snow leopard and leopard photographed in Gongga Mountain, Sichuan.
Coincidentally, from July 2065438 to July 2006, leopards and snow leopards were also photographed somewhere in Qinghai Province. Although they are staggered in time and the two sides have not met, it is undeniable that their activities overlap.
Snow leopard and leopard photographed many times in Qinghai province
In the Anna Burnas Peak Nature Reserve in Nepal, people have also observed leopards in its habitat. Compared with the snow leopard, the leopard is bigger and more adaptable to its habitat. Once they are in the same habitat, the leopard is likely to squeeze its living space and even take over its habitat, thus accelerating its extinction.
Looking at the protection of snow leopards in China, as mentioned earlier, the main habitat of snow leopards is China, and most of the wild snow leopards in the world also live in China. It's true. According to the report of Investigation and Protection Status of Snow Leopard in China 20 18, 60% of the world's snow leopard habitat is located in China, so we can proudly say that the protection of snow leopard in the world depends entirely on China. China has done a good job in this respect, and can even serve as an example for wildlife protection in the world. In recent years, China has given snow leopard the highest protection in many ways.
The general distribution area of snow leopard in China
Generally speaking, the protection measures for snow leopards in China can be basically divided into four aspects, namely, cracking down on poaching, poaching and illegal trade, planning protected areas and protecting the habitat of snow leopards, conducting artificial breeding and raising people's awareness of protection. Although it is simple to say, it is not easy to implement in practice, especially? Raise people's awareness of protection? This piece is particularly difficult.
It is inevitable that snow leopards prey on livestock. Again, it is not that the victims may never feel the grief and indignation of the killing of cattle and sheep, but once the public's awareness of protecting snow leopards is raised, the retaliatory killing and poaching of snow leopards can be greatly reduced.
In view of this, through years of publicity and education, it has been greatly improved. Herdsmen now living on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, even if they find snow leopards killing livestock, will not kill them directly, but choose to release them to the mountains or report them to the forestry department.
Needless to say, artificial breeding is the most important way to protect the South China tiger at present. Although it is very difficult to breed snow leopards, it has been overcome now. Snow leopards in captivity can even live for 15 years.
In terms of habitat protection, China has established Hoh Xil Nature Reserve, Sanjiangyuan National Park and Tomur Peak National Nature Reserve, which can meet the survival of snow leopards. Therefore, China has indeed set an example in the protection of snow leopards.