Can you spot the snow leopard? Elusive predator blends into the background above the world’s highest village in the Himalayas
- Saurabh Desai, 38, a wildlife photographer captured snow leopard this year
- Its yellowish spotty fur blends into the North Indian Himalayan rock-face
- The shot was taken just above Kibbar Village which is world’s highest settlement
At a glance, this photograph appears to be a picture of a rocky and snow-patched mountainside.
But perching somewhere on the rugged crag, a snow leopard is camouflaged among the crevices hiding in plain site.
Its yellowish spotty fur blends into the North Indian Himalayan rock-face to provide the perfect cover to sneak up on prey or stay hidden from predators.
Saurabh Desai, 38, a wildlife photographer from India’s Surat city of Gujarat captured the picture of the elusive snow leopard earlier this year.
Perching somewhere on the rugged Himalayan crag, a snow leopard is camouflaged among the crevices hiding in plain site
He said: ‘I was on my search of world’s most illusive cat, I visited the valley near ‘Kibbar Village’ which is world’s highest village.
‘We were around 8km away from the village in the valley when we could see this highly camouflaged male snow leopard.
‘I wanted to portray this animal in its own environment perfectly camouflaged which is an important skill that helps it in hunting.’
Despite the name, snow leopards’ fur range from white to yellowish gray and are usually found in barren areas in Central Asia’s mountains.
Its yellowish spotty fur blends into the North Indian Himalayan rock-face to provide the perfect cover to sneak up on prey or stay hidden from predators
Despite the name, snow leopards’ fur range from white to yellowish gray and are usually found in barren areas in Central Asia’s mountains