Zoos, Circuses, Safaris: A Gallery of Captivity

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(01-28-2019, 08:09 PM)Sanju Wrote:

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From that video quite impossible to say if male or female. So there has to be more information from people who recorded this if able to say, that it is a male. Anyway female could do the same without a doubt if this really is a male :)

No, in my previous post I said so just casually lol coz I don't like to refer animals as "it". Hence I used "He" but not implied him as "male". So I said don't quote me for that.

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Limbs and Vertebral Column
In terms of limb proportions, the snow leopard most resembles the cheetah, which is an open-country pursuit predator (Gonyea, 1976). The humeroradial index (94.6%) is only slightly
less than that of the lion (98.3%) and the cheetah (103.3%), while the femorotibial index (105%) matches that of the cheetah, indicating longer lower limbs for a longer stride and potentially
higher running speeds. The intermembral index is only 84.7% and falls within values for other large cats. The snow leopard’s hunting behavior has been recorded on film in recent years and indicates that from an ambush it can display rapid acceleration and pursuit of bovid prey, with long leaps and sharp turns. The relatively longer tibiae would allow for more effective leaping, which is also supported by the relatively long thoracic (42.4% presacral vertebral length) and lumbar (35.6%) segments of the vertebral column, which ranked second among those of all large felids, thus allowing for more effective, efficient and flexibility in leaping and turning.
Rieger (1984) mentioned a muscle, the musculus endopectoralis (= pectoralis major), which runs from the posterior sternum to the distal humerus, and apparently acts as a “spring” when
a jumping mammal lands. Among felids the pectoralis major has the highest relative weight, emphasizing its importance in absorbing energy when landing after leaping. Snow leopards have
apparently been recorded leaping as far as 15 m across a gorge (Ognev, 1962).

Tail
The snow leopard also has a long tail (75–90% of head-and-body length; Hemmer, 1972; mean 83% in 13 males and mean 82.2% in 15 females, ACK, unpublished data), which acts as a balancing organ (Rieger, 1984), when leaping between rocks and ascending or descending steep slopes, especially while moving rapidly in pursuit of prey. The tail is also used as a mufer to insulate paws and head from the cold at high altitude when resting (Rieger, 1984).

I read your message in somewhat sloppy way Anyway that is great footage! She is a magnificent snow leopard Reply