Research overview: snow leopard predation on blue sheep and ibex

An overview of the snow leopard's dependence on a few wild mountain ungulates, chiefly blue sheep (bharal) and Siberian ibex, across the high ranges of Central Asia. These prey constitute the core of the snow leopard's diet, and the cat's density and persistence track their abundance, making wild-prey conservation central to snow leopard recovery. This survey synthesizes diet studies, the influence of terrain and stalking cover on hunting success against cliff-dwelling prey, and how competition with livestock grazing depresses wild ungulates. It connects to prey-preference analyses placing snow leopard preferred prey in the 36-76 kg range and to conflict driven by prey scarcity. The topic underscores how a specialist high-altitude predator is tied to the fate of its mountain-ungulate prey.