Most big cats are territorial, with males commonly using larger home ranges than females. But what is driving the spatial behavior of these cats? A new study published in the journal Ecosphere compares spatial data from snow leopards and pumas to better understand what is governing their territorial behavior. Two factors stand out: abundance of prey and access to potential mates. However, the way they work together is not what researchers expected.
Join us for an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look at life in snow leopard research camp in a seven-part series from Tost, Mongolia.
The last morning in camp provides a story Hollywood’s finest screenwriters would be proud to have come up with!
The last full day in camp brings an inspiring conservation with a herder and a beautiful parting gift from a cat.
Tost’s snow leopards prove to be as elusive as their reputation suggests. Halfway through collaring season, they’ve successfully evaded our carefully laid-out traps.
After a week of intense preparations, a calmer routine settles over snow leopard research camp in Tost, Mongolia.
Snow Leopards Trust researchers are planning to track both wild snow leopards and ibex, their primary prey species, with GPS technology this spring.
The snow leopard is under threat of extinction. But a local grassroots organization in Mongolia is showing a possible path toward the future for this endangered cat.
For almost a decade, Swedish researcher Örjan Johansson has studied the elusive snow leopards of the Gobi Desert. His pioneering work includes equipping 23 individual snow leopards with GPS collars, and publishing groundbreaking papers on how these cats use their habitat or how frequently they kill prey. Last month, Örjan defended the PhD thesis he wrote on this research. In this article, he shares some thoughts about his unique work and what motivates him to do it.
Örjan Johansson’s groundbreaking work on the snow leopard’s biology and behavior has led to novel insights into the spatial needs, predation patterns, and reproduction cycle of this elusive cat. Now, after 8 years of field work, collaring 23 individual snow leopards and spending more than 1,000 nights in the Gobi Desert, this pioneering scientist has received his PhD from the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences.
