When we think of a “face-off” we normally think of some intense fight. Perhaps it is two male hippos fighting over the rights of their territory. Maybe it is two male lions fighting ferociously over the right to mate with a lioness. Or, like the case of this video shown, this fierce face-off is over the right to claim this dead animal.
This amazing YouTube video that is posted below was shared by the Felis Creations TV channel. They found this video of an interaction between a snow leopard and a red fox. It was filmed in Uley, Ladakh. The Felis Creations TV channel shares its mission below.
“Felis Creations is a media and visual arts company based in Bangalore, India, that focuses on creating content that inspires conservation. Our films have a global audience and have appeared on leading channels such as National Geographic, BBC, Netflix, Discovery, and Animal Planet.”
One Fierce Face-Off
This intense video starts with us seeing a dead animal on the side of the mountain. This would be what we would call food of convenience. Neither of these two animals hunted and killed it. However, any animal coming nearby that can smell this dead animal will take the opportunity to eat it before it becomes rotten.
It’s not long before both a snow leopard higher up in the mountain and a red fox lower down sniff out this dead animal. The red fox comes running right to it. As he gets to the animal, there are already birds picking at its flesh. The fox comes in and starts to help himself.
A few seconds later, we see this snow leopard start to emerge from its den and climb down the mountain straight to this meal. This red fox is smart enough to know not to challenge this snow leopard. The fox runs off and allows the leopard to eat it.
What Do Snow Leopards Eat?
These snow leopards are rarely seen.
©Abeselom Zerit/Shutterstock.com
Snow leopards (Panthera uncia) are found in Asia and Eurasia. As we can see from its name, they live in cold weather and can reside high up in the mountains.
These animals are carnivores, which means they will feast on a variety of prey such as sheep, deer, antelope, yaks, gazelle, birds, and other mammals. With such a varied diet, it is not difficult to imagine this snow leopard would climb down this mountain for this dead animal.
Check Out the Incredible Video Below!
The photo featured at the top of this post is © Chris Desborough/Shutterstock.com
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