Cameras capture only a glimpse into the lives of these majestic cats. Still, even these glimpses provide crucial information about their population, reproductive habits, communication patterns and survival rates that would be nigh impossible to gather by other means.
Our expert team has sorted through thousands of images to isolate photographs of snow leopards and other animals captured by camera traps across Mongolia’s Tost Mountains in 2024. We have monitored the snow leopard population of this protected area for 18 years, generating unprecedented insights into the lives of individual cats and the species as a whole.
Sharing these images is one of our favorite ways to connect with our supporters, so we hope you enjoy these candid snow leopard selfies! And while they are certainly adorable and epic, they also help to drive our conservation strategies. In a world inundated with selfies, these stand out, enhancing our understanding of this magnificent species and guiding our efforts to protect them.
Initial Observations
- Snow leopards were photographed on 33 of 43 cameras set out in 2024, resulting in 86 encounters (an encounter may generate multiple photos but represents a single visit by a snow leopard within a 1-hour cut-off period).
- Our team identified individual snow leopards in 84 of the 86 encounters. Identifying cats based on their rosettes is very challenging, so a 98% success rate is great!
- Our cameras captured nine resident adult snow leopards from previous years, three new adult snow leopards establishing themselves and six cats of undetermined status (possibly transients or subadults who may establish in the coming years).
- The total number of adult cats captured on cameras in 2024 was at least 12 and possibly as many as 18.
New Resident Adult Cats
- F19 was born in 2020 to Guiererro, seen on cameras every year since then, and has now established herself in Tost. She was collared in spring 2025 and our researchers could tell she had given birth before, either in 2023 or 2024. We did not see her with cubs in either year, so it’s possible she lost the litter before the camera survey.
- New Mum resides in the southeast of Tost and was first detected in 2024, with three cubs trailing behind her. She appears to have taken over Clown’s area.
- M25 was first photographed in 2023 as a suspected young transient. He has since established himself in a crater in the northeast of Tost. He appears to have taken over, or is attempting to take over, Kurzawa’s territory. He was collared in September 2025.
New and Returning Cubs
We encountered three snow leopard females with young cubs born in 2024. As mentioned above, New Mum had three cubs, Zaya had two cubs and an unknown female was accompanied by two cubs. The unknown female was off camera when her cubs were photographed, but they were seen on cameras far enough away from New Mum and Zaya that we’re certain they are a third litter.
This means seven snow leopard cubs were born in 2024!
We also encountered one female with second-year cubs (born in 2023). We could not identify her as she was too close to the camera, but we suspect it is F10 or F12 based on the location and known females with cubs born in 2023. Four other females gave birth to cubs in 2023, but we didn’t encounter any of their cubs on cameras. We saw one of the moms, Nandu, but her cubs weren’t with her and we don’t know if she lost the litter or was simply traveling alone.
Established Females
In addition to F19, Zaya and New Mum, who we discussed above, we encountered six established females. Cats from previous years were seen in roughly the same areas as in past surveys.
- Antoine resides in western Tost and was born to Anu in 2015. Antoine has had two litters, in 2019 and 2022.
- F17 resides in Toson Bumba and was born in 2021 to F10. She was collared in April 2024.
- Nandu resides in the southwest of Tost and has been seen on our cameras since 2021. She gave birth to three cubs in 2023, her first litter known to us.
- Zaya lives in southeast Tost and has been seen on our cameras since 2018. She was seen with two new cubs in 2024, the third litter we know of, though it may be her fourth.
Established Males
In addition to M25, we encountered six established males. Cats from previous years were encountered in roughly the same areas as in past surveys, except for Kurzawa.
- Batbayar has taken over the territory once held by one of Dagina’s male offspring and has been seen on cameras since 2023, when he was detected in northern and western Tost.
- Kurzawa appears to have been pushed out of his regular home range in the northeast part of Tost and was seen further west than usual. We’ve seen him on camera since 2015, and he is at least 12 (an old man for a snow leopard!).
- M23 (Eight) lives in southeastern Tost and has been with us since 2021, when he was encountered as an adult.
- M24 (Angarag) resides in central Tost and has been with us since the autumn of 2024, when he was both collared and encountered on camera.
- Nomadic resides in south-central Tost and has been seen on cameras since 2021.
Cats To Be Determined
Ant is probably a young cat and of unknown sex. This snow leopard was photographed many times on multiple cameras in an area where we didn’t detect any adult females, so Ant may be establishing themself here. We should know next year if we see this cat again.
Cats Off Camera
When conducting camera-trap surveys, it’s important to remember that we’re capturing snapshots of a highly mobile wild population. While we identified twelve cats in 2023 that weren’t detected in 2024, this may reflect the dynamic nature of snow leopard ecology in Tost rather than definitive loss, where the reduction in the number of cats encountered in 2024 probably reflects both actual losses of cats and also a few more cats than usual evading our cameras.
One rarely captures all animals in any survey, and we therefore account for this by estimating capture probability—the proportion of animals missed relative to those seen. Some cats, like F12/Willian (who we know is alive and well through her GPS collar), were not detected by any camera this year. We also know that three cats died in 2024 (F18, M20, and M22), likely due to aggressive encounters with other cats, as previously reported.
The seven other undetected cats are Clown, F10, F11, Presnel, Bugs, M18, and Rando. Until we complete our 2025 camera survey and cross-reference the data, we can’t draw firm conclusions about their status. Several factors could explain their absence: natural mortality, territory shifts, or technical challenges. For example, this year, ten cameras experienced premature battery failure during the survey period, which may have resulted in a few missed encounters. Fortunately, these cameras were randomly distributed rather than clustered, minimizing potential bias. Such challenges are common while conducting difficult fieldwork under harsh conditions.
While twelve individual snow leopards detected in 2023 were not recorded in 2024, this non-detection likely reflects the dynamic nature of snow leopard ecology in Tost—a mix of natural loss and some cats evading our cameras—rather than a definitive population reduction. It’s also crucial to maintain perspective: our Tost study area covers 1,500 km² within the snow leopard’s 2 million km² range. The patterns we observe here offer valuable local insights but don’t necessarily reflect range-wide trends. This is why long-term, consistent monitoring remains essential for understanding these elusive cats.
By tracking individual snow leopards year after year through camera traps and GPS collars, we’re decoding key behaviors – from hunting strategies and habitat use to breeding patterns and cub survival rates. This growing knowledge allows us to make informed conservation decisions to protect both snow leopards and their fragile mountain ecosystems.
Photo credits: SLCF-Mongolia
Acknowledgments: This Long-Term Ecological Study is in collaboration with Snow Leopard Conservation Foundation in Mongolia and Snow Leopard Trust with special thanks to the Ministry for Environment and Green Development, the Government of Mongolia, and the Mongolian Academy of Sciences for their support.
SLT would also like to acknowledge: Acton Family Giving, Bioparc Zoo de Doue la Fontaine, David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, Dublin Zoo, Idaho Falls Zoo at Tautphaus Park, John Ball Zoo, Kolmarden Zoo, Korkeasaari Zoo, Knopf Family Foundation, National Geographic Society, Nordens Ark, Parco Zoo Punta Verde, Play for Nature, Regina Bauer Frankenberg Foundation, Tierpark Berlin, The Big Cat Sanctuary/Wildlife Heritage Foundation, Tulsa Zoo, Whitley Fund for Nature, Zoo Basel, Zoo Boise, Zoo Dresden, and Zoo New England.
Thank you to all the many committed partners who have supported our research in Mongolia along with our Long-term Ecological Study since it began in 2008. We could not do this work without you.
Special thanks to Enkhburen (Buren) Nyam, Choidogjamts “Choidog” Byambasuren, Temuulen “Temka” Ulziibadrakh, Purevjav “Pujii” Lkhagvajav, Dr. Gustaf Samelius and the Tost community rangers for all their work in implementing the camera trap research and painstakingly identifying these individual snow leopards!