No, “Spot” isn’t the big cat‘s name (Panthera uncia). This isn’t an easy “spot the. . .” picture unless you have a good search image. It was sent to me by reader Pradeep, and appears in My Modern Met, along with a lot of other lovely pictures by photographer Saurabh Desai, but I won’t give the link until the reveal lest you cheat!
A bit of information first:
. . . this photograph by Saurabh Desai showcases a male snow leopard hiding in plain sight. See it? We’ll give you a minute. If you’re having trouble spotting the camouflaged creature, here’s a hint: the big cat is not white, but brown.
Desai snapped this incredible animal photography, titled Art of Camouflage, in the early months of 2019. He began by trekking to the Spiti Valley located high in the Himalayas in North India with a single goal in mind. “I was on my search of the world’s most illusive cat,” he tells My Modern Met, “which is also known as ‘Grey Ghost’ in the popular local language.”
Desai ultimately made his way to the valley and near the high-altitude Kibber village. He was about five miles from the locale when he spotted the brown snow leopard, which is also called Shan in the local Ladakhi language. It turns out that the cat saw him, too. “The picture depicts the Snow Leopard trying to get off the cliff,” he recalls, “but observing our presence, it decided to wait until it got really dark and it stayed there on the edge.”
It is a testament to Desai’s patience and perseverance that he captured this image.
Indeed. Can you spot it? I’d rate this one “medium difficult”. That’s a cryptic cat! I’ll put up the reveal at 11 a.m. Chicago time.
That’s a good one! Other hint: it’s looking right at you.
I actually made an out loud exclamation* when I realised it was staring right at me.
*That began with an F.
Of course you did – anyone would naturally call out ‘FOUND FELID!’
Yes, I think it was the eyes – I saw it at once.
Pretty easy to see for some reason. Lovely cat.
I thought so too. Spotted it right away.
Found it.
And of course “Spot the Snow Leopard” would be a silly name. Something like Iggy or Jasper perhaps?
Spotted him! It must be easier than previous ones you have posted because I don’t usually find them.
Wonderful picture and a lovely cat. I think the snow leopard may be my favorite cat.
Found it! I saw one (and its kitten) years ago at Darjeeling where they have a breeding program. The rest of the zoo was terrible, but the snow leopard display seemed to be much better run.
When we took our son to the Toronto Zoo when he was maybe 9 months old and in a stroller, the snow leopard got a bead on him and walked back and forth in his enclosure as we moved around. All the other people there noticed it. I guess he looked like a tender morsel.
I usually have a terrible time with these, but this was easy.
Found it!
I figured out it might be brown – I guess these cats are white or brown- two colors.
Almost seems like it is smiling at the photographer. Just happened to look at the spot to begin with.
Looking for lunch!
Found it but only by blowing up the image. Then I found it staring right at me. Beautiful. There is also a rock formation that looks to me like a cat sitting up!
I think this one was easier because the face is so prominent, and us humans are designed to detect faces.
There it is-
Easy. And I’m terrible at image searches. 10 sec or less.
I found it! Beautiful animal.
That was actually pretty easy.
I’d call this one pretty easy. I zoomed right into him.
Found it immediately. Usually takes me forever.🐾🐾
Handsome cat. The coloring really does blend in.
Clearly, the snow leopard has spotted the photographer.
And is saying “cheese”?
Bring back the cat in the skyscraper, that one was a cinch.
My first success, and quickly too.
Nice.
yes, that was an easy one, for a change.
Beautiful picture I found him💖but it wasn’t easy