Can you spot the snow leopard in this photo? Optical illusion image confuses netizens

A photograph of a wild snow leopard often referred to as ‘ghost of the mountain’ camouflaging in the rocky terrain has sent the netizens scratching their heads. The image giving an optical illusion with the ferocious animal resting in the hiding has confused the viewers who have been struggling to spot the ‘phantom cat’. The image was shared on Tuesday by the IFS officer Ramesh Pandey on his official Twitter handle. Sharing the tricky picture, the forest officer tasked the internet to search the location of the apex predator.

“Phantom cat….! They are called ghosts of the mountains. If you can locate,” Ramesh wrote in the caption to the photograph wherein the wild cat is nearly ‘invisible’ to the naked eye. 

The elusive big cats are known for their stealth and predatory behaviour. Often 1.8-2.3m in size, the snow leopards don’t usually roar like the lions but send the yowling cries across the mountainous regions only exceptionally during the breeding season. These cats are primarily solitary and are active hunters during the dawn and the dusk by taking a quiet ambush, meaning they are crepuscular. In the image shared by the Forest officer, the cat had been presumably patrolling the ridge-lines and rocky terrain searching for food. However, it’s a tough feat for anyone to locate its bearing in the depicted area. 

'..Can barely locate it,' say netizens 

The forest officer explained that the ferocious carnivores have an excellent ability to freeze their movement, and they have an uncanny ability to use their sharp vision to inspect the mountainous terrain for surrounding threats or potential prey for food. “Took me 1-2 minutes to find. Such marvellous creatures and such an exceptional skill of deception,” said an internet user, as many others poured in their guesses. “Here you go,” another wrote encircling the spot where he thought the snow leopard had hidden. “Correct me if I am wrong,” meanwhile one other guessed. “My god I could barely locate it. I had to expand the pic several times,” said the third. “Indeed a Phantom, master camouflage,” yet another agreed. The image has created a stir online as people gave attempts one after the other to get it right.