POSITIONING in plain sight to stalk its prey, this snow leopard must be on a mission to find something to eat.
Bharal, the trusting blue sheep, may not have enough time to escape, but can you find him in time to save yourself?
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Can you spot the cunning snow leopard waiting to pounce in this image? Credit: reddit
A fearsome wildcat sneaked up on the goat-like creatures as they roamed the Indian Himalayas.
Its thick spotted fur managed to help it blend in with the rocky slopes as the snow leopard lurked in their vantage point.
The incredible photo of the elusive animal was taken by wildlife photographer Inger Vandyke in 2015.
An Australian embarked on a 17-day trek through the mountains to photograph the species in the wild.
She was joined by a team of local guides and a British expert who were desperate to catch a glimpse of some rare animals.
Inger said of her experience: “Snow leopards blend so well into their landscape that they can turn their backs on you and literally disappear into their landscape.
“When I look at my photos, I often wonder how many of them we went through the field and just didn’t see.”
His patience ultimately paid off, as he managed to spot a few snow leopards even with his extraordinary camouflage skills.
So, did you see the big cat fast enough?
If you look a little closer, you’ll notice something sinister hiding behind a pile of rocks next to a tree.
Surprisingly, the snow leopard managed to crawl up the mountain undetected before hiding behind the rubble.
Inger pointed out that they are masters of disguise, it takes the human eye a second to adjust and distinguish a predator.
She told GrindTV: “Some of them [the guides] We saw snow leopards and then tried to show them to each other and it took us a few minutes to train our eyes to see them.”
The photographer said they had to follow the snow leopard to track its movements, but the pesky predator kept taunting them.
Added Inger: “We would try to locate it again to photograph it and it would take us a minute or more to try to find it again as it hid behind a rock.
“Seven out of eight snow leopard hunts failed and we desperately tried to sit down and hide so as not to interrupt their hunt.
“We wanted him to succeed so that he could enjoy the food.
“That encounter was, and probably always will be, one of the most incredible experiences I’ve had with a wild animal in my life.
“I ended up shaking. Of course, that was partly because I was cold from sitting on the ice for hours while all this was going on, but I was also shaking because I couldn’t believe what we had just witnessed.”
Why not see if you can also spot the tiger hidden among this herd of zebras on the grassy plain?
Or try to find all 16 tigers in the jungle scene, and it’s harder than you think.
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A bobcat hid behind some rocks on a hillside to stalk its prey Credit: Reddit
Categories: Optical Illusion
Source: tiengtrunghaato.edu.vn