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Photo Gallery: Big Cats
PREVIOUS16 of 18NEXT
Photo: A rare snow leopard
Photo: Male adult lionPhoto: Lionesses and cubsPhoto: Close-up of two male lionsPhoto: Lioness stretchingPhoto: A lion walking through grassesPhoto: An ocelot on the prowlPhoto: A mountain lion watches its territory from a rockPhoto: Bengal tiger with one of her three cubsPhoto: African cheetah in the grassPhoto: A young female jaguar stopped in its tracksPhoto: Clouded leopardPhoto: Close-up of an African lionPhoto: Asian lion restingPhoto: Bobcat sitting on a rockPhoto: Female lynx and her young kittenPhoto: A rare snow leopardPhoto: A female African cheetah and her three cubsPhoto: Siberian tigers in the snow
ENLARGEWALLPAPER

Native to the Central Asian mountains, the snow leopard is a rare sight, with only about 6,000 left in the wild. They are hunted for their beautiful, warm fur and for their organs, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine.


National Geographic is working to avert the big cats' extinction with the Big Cats Initiative, a comprehensive program that supports innovative projects with quick results for saving big cats, anti-poaching programs, projects that test new technology and more.

Photograph by Michael Nichols

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