Snow leopard animal description for children briefly. Snow leopard (irbis) description

One of the strongest representatives of the cat family is the snow leopard. Another name for this animal is the irbis or snow leopard. Because of the valuable fur, hunting for snow leopards is always popular. Because of this, the number of individuals of this species in the middle of the last century was greatly reduced.

It was recorded that in the sixties of the XX century, only one thousand adult snow leopards remained on the planet. V Lately the population of snow leopards has increased and reached the value of 5000–7500 individuals. This was achieved thanks to the ban on hunting this predator. In all states where the snow leopard lives, the animal is under protection and is listed in the Red Book.

Habitat and abundance of the snow leopard

You can meet this magnificent animal in Central Asia. The main habitats of snow leopards are in such states as:

• Afghanistan,
• Russia,
• China,
• India,
• Kazakhstan,
• Kyrgyzstan,
• Mongolia,
• Uzbekistan and others.

You can meet a mammalian predator in the highlands, approximately at an altitude of 1500 to 5 thousand meters above sea level. In Russia, the habitats of the snow leopard are located in Khakassia, Altai, Tyva, and the Krasnoyarsk Territory.

The appearance of the snow leopard (irbis)

Description of the appearance of the snow leopard

The appearance of the snow leopard resembles a leopard, despite the rather distant relationship. In addition, the irbis is much smaller than its relative. At the withers, the animal grows up to 60 centimeters. The body of the irbis reaches one and a half meters in length, the tail is a whole meter! From the whole cat family snow leopards have the longest tail in relation to the body. The tail is used to maintain balance during huge jumps - a distance of 15 meters. At the same time, the weight adult leopard can reach 100 kilograms. Males are usually larger than females.

The head of the irbis is small, about 20 centimeters long. The tips of the ears are rounded, there are no tassels. Wide paws do not allow the predator to fall into the snow.

The color of the coat is predominantly gray with black spots. In winter, the skin has more dark color and brightens in summer. The spots are shaped like a five-leafed flower, often with an additional spot in the middle. The head, neck and limbs do not have well-defined spots, but rather black strokes. The spots are large, can reach a diameter of 7 centimeters. The fur of the predator is thick and long, the hairs reach a length of 5.5 centimeters. This is due to the fact that snow leopards live mainly in cold climates. It is noteworthy that snow leopards fur grows even between the toes. This saves the snow leopard from the cold in winter and from hot stones in summer. It also prevents him from sliding on ice.

An adult animal has 30 teeth. A roar, similar to other large representatives of the feline family, is not emitted, but meowed more often in low tones.

Food and hunting

Irbis are predatory animals of the cat family. They prefer to hunt at dusk or at dawn. As a rule, they hunt the following animals:

• on ungulates: sheep, mountain goats, roe deer, deer;
• on small animals: ground squirrels, pikas;
• on birds: snowcocks, pheasants.

However, attacking small animals and birds is not typical for snow leopards. Snow leopards hunt for them in case of a shortage of large horned animals nearby.

Hunting is conducted as follows. The predator sneaks up to the chosen game and swiftly jumps on it. For an ambush, high stones are used, in which case the throw on the victim will be from above. They can pursue prey at a distance of about 300 meters, but if it is not possible to catch up with the victim, then they stop the chase. Snow leopards can hunt in families of 2-3 individuals. In this case, these mammalian predators can even successfully attack the bear.

Snow leopards drag the prey to the couch, where they eat it. The remains, as a rule, are not guarded or hidden. At the same time, one large game, the snow leopard, is enough for several days.

In summer, snow leopards are known to gnaw grass and green parts of young shrubs in addition to hunting meat.

reproduction

Snow leopards lead a predominantly solitary lifestyle, but can form family groups. The territory of one male has an area of ​​150-160 square kilometers. Partially covered by the territories of females. They prefer to settle on rocky places., often occupying natural caves or nests of large birds.

Mating occurs in spring or early summer. The mating season is very short - only a week. Pregnancy lasts 3–3.5 months. The female arranges a warm secluded den, the bottom of which is lined with her hair. There are 2-3 kittens in a litter. Cubs are born blind, eyes open after about a week. Babies weigh about 500 grams and reach a length of 30 centimeters. The coloration is brown with small spots. At first, they feed only on mother's milk. Only the mother takes care of the babies.

In a cave hidden from prying eyes, the cubs sit for about 2 months. All this time, in addition to milk, the female feeds them with meat. Little leopards begin to go hunting with their mother at about six months.. At first, only the mother rushes to prey.

Babies become independent at about two years of age, and sexual maturity occurs at 4 years. The life expectancy of snow leopards reaches 13 years, in captivity they can live up to 20.

Snow Leopard represents the cat family - it is a rather graceful and beautiful predator. Often he is called the "master of the mountains", he is a permanent inhabitant of it.

Features and habitat of the snow leopard

The animal is a loner by nature, it is not in vain that it lives in the mountains: the Western Sayan, the Himalayas, the Pamirs, Altai, the Greater Caucasus. In Russia, you can meet only a few percent of this delightful animal of the total.

Snow Leopard – snow leopard, he received such a name in translation from Turkic, snowy. Basically, especially during the warm period, leopards live among bare rocks, and only in winter period they can be found in the valley. The animal feels great at high altitude (6 km). Each of them takes enough large area, and other individuals do not step on it.

Snow leopard description appearance is very similar to . On average, this animal weighs up to 40 kg (it can reach 75 kg in captivity), and its body has a length of 1-1.30 m. The length of the tail is the same as the body.

The male is always larger than the female. Its coat has a light gray color and is covered with dark gray spots except for the belly, it is white. This coloration helps him to camouflage himself while hunting.

The fur of the leopard is so warm and thick that it perfectly protects the animal in cold weather, it is also located between the toes of the paws. The paws are soft and long, they do not fall into the snow, and this allows the animal to successfully hunt. The jump while hunting can reach up to 6 m in length and 3 m in height.

The animal's fur is considered very valuable, so it is actively hunted, which significantly reduces the population. So snow leopard in the Red Book occupies a place of honor. And worst of all, poaching of this magnificent animal continues. A man with a gun is the main enemy of a predatory animal.

But zoos, on the contrary, are trying by all means to increase the population. What is surprising for a cat breed, leopards rarely growl, and if this happens, it is very quiet. But they meow and purr, like all other predators.

The nature and lifestyle of the snow leopard

Oddly enough, the nature of the snow leopard is feline. Like many others, he is a loner by nature. He prefers highlands. The area it occupies is quite large (up to 160 km²). Its linear territory can be crossed by the territories of females. The male mostly moves along the same route.

A snow leopard can build his own house (lair) in a large nest or in a rock (cave). It is here that he spends a large amount of time, namely all of his bright part.

V dark time day the snow leopard starts hunting. It is carried out in the territory marked by him, and only extreme need can force him to go to the neighboring one.

Hunting for the snow leopard is not only food, but also a kind of fun. He can track down his prey for hours. Leopards have practically no enemies, so they are not at all afraid of night hunting.

They can bring him trouble, perhaps, wild and hungry, but they fail to defeat the snow leopard. The snow leopard does not attack a person, he prefers to retire and be unnoticed. But still, isolated cases were recorded in times of famine for the animal.

If we compare all , we can conclude that Snow Leopard, animal friendly enough. He can be trained. Irbis love to play, ride in the snow and even slide down the hill. And after the pleasures lie down in a cozy place and enjoy the sun.

Nutrition

The diet of the snow leopard mainly consists of animals living in the mountains:,. But if it is not possible to obtain such food, he can be content with birds or rodents.

A brave and cunning animal is also able to cope with a huge one. During one hunt, the snow leopard can get several victims at once. He does not eat them on the spot, but transfers them to a place convenient for him (tree, rock). One animal is enough for a wild cat for several days.

V summer period snow leopards, in addition to meat, can eat vegetation. Everything that was managed to get for "dinner" the leopard does not eat. He needs about 2-3 kilograms to get enough. In times of famine, a predatory animal can hunt domestic animals.

Reproduction and lifespan

The mating season for the snow leopard begins at spring period. The male at this time creates sounds similar to purring and thus attracts the female. After fertilization, the leopard leaves the female.

Pictured is a snow leopard cub

The period of bearing offspring in a female lasts 3 months. Before the appearance of the "barsenka", the expectant mother prepares the lair. Most often it is located in hard to reach place, among the rocks. To make the “house” warm, the female rips out her hair and lines the bottom of the den with it.

At one time, the female leopard can bring up to 5 kittens. Their size is the same as that of an ordinary kitten, and they weigh about 500 g. In blind kittens, eyes begin to see after 5-6 days. Already on the 10th day of life, they begin to crawl.

After 60 days, the kids slowly crawl out of the lair, but only in order to play pranks near the entrance. Snow Leopard, images which is on the Internet, at a young age is very funny.

Up to 2 months of age, babies eat milk, and then a caring mother begins to feed them with meat. At 5 months, the young generation goes hunting with the female. Prey is hunted down by the whole family, but the mother will attack first.

The female teaches her cubs everything, including hunting and taking care of them on her own. The male has no part in this. At the age of one year, the leopards already become independent and retire.

On average, snow leopards live for about 14 years, but in captivity they can live up to 20. Several thousand snow leopards live in zoos and breed successfully there.

The snow leopard or irbis is one of the most beautiful representatives of predators, which has chosen mountains as its natural habitat. Habits, color - everything in this animal is beautiful, which, in fact, played a cruel joke. Mankind, for the purpose of fishing and profit, at one time almost completely exterminated this animal. On the this moment The snow leopard is listed in the Red Book and is under strict protection.

Appearance

In appearance, the snow leopard is very similar to a leopard. However, the main difference is in the fur - in the snow leopard it is longer and softer. The tail is also quite long - almost like a torso. The color of the fur is brownish-gray, with ring-shaped spots along the entire back. The length of the snow leopard is about 170 centimeters, and the weight ranges from 50-70 kilograms. It should be noted that males are always heavier and larger than females.

The snow leopard does not change its color, depending on the territory of residence, unlike other predators. However, some scientists claim that there are several subspecies, which are distinguished by the shade of fur and size. However, there is no exact data on this yet.

Preservation of the species

Today, the territories in which this predator lives are under strict protection. But, despite such measures, there are still hunters and cattle breeders who kill an animal just to get fur.

In addition, in the natural habitat, also not without human help, a lot of threats appeared for the animal. For example, the deterioration of the environment in nature, which is due to the development of the mining and extractive industries. In addition, the decrease in the abundance of the species is extremely negatively affected by the decrease in food objects.

According to statistics, only for the period from 2002 to 2016, the number of this animal in Russia decreased by almost three times. However, there is also a positive - thanks to the implementation of some conservation facilities, the population of the predator has recently begun to grow. Thus, the state of affairs improved significantly due to the discovery of the Sailyugemsky national park. The protected area is located in Altai.

The threat of extinction of the species is also due to the fact that due to negative circumstances (shooting, poor ecology, lack of food), the number of females has significantly decreased. At the moment, they live only in some foci, and therefore the reproduction of the species still remains under threat.

reproduction

Unlike its relatives from the genus of predators, the snow leopard breeds rather slowly, and during one pregnancy the female gives birth to no more than three kittens.

The mating season for this animal begins in the spring - the male attracts the female by purring (they can’t take away their cat’s habits). After the female is fertilized, the male leaves her. In the future, the parent still takes care of his offspring and quite often they go hunting with the whole family.

Pregnancy lasts 95-110 days. Before the start of labor, the female equips herself with a lair in a secluded place, which will be completely protected from strangers. It is noteworthy that the future mother lines the floor in her home with her own wool - she simply tears out the shreds.

Kittens are born weighing about half a kilogram, completely deaf and blind. For the first month of life, they feed exclusively on mother's milk. In the fishery, the mother walks only during short periods of time when the newborns are sleeping. Around the middle of the season, the cubs are old enough to go hunting with their mother. Fully adults, and therefore, capable of reproduction, they become in the 2nd-3rd year of life.

Habitat

As mentioned earlier, the snow leopard is the only species of predator that lives only in the mountains. The snow leopard builds its lair in caves, rock crevices and similar places.

It should be noted that the animal leads a rather distant way of life, although females bring up and take care of their children for a long time. Up to three females can live on the territory of one male at the same time, and this number is considered optimal. At the moment, this proportion, unfortunately, is not respected.

It is noteworthy that the owner of the territory can bypass his territory several times a day, and only along the same route. He marks her different ways, and quickly removes unwanted guests from their possessions.

It should be noted that, despite the formidable appearance, the snow leopard is quite friendly. He won't join the fight if there's no good reasons. The animal lends itself well enough to training, tamed predators willingly contact with humans.

In the wild, the snow leopard does not pose a direct threat - having noticed a person, he will simply leave. But, in a particularly hungry time, cases of attacks were recorded for the animal.

Snow leopard video

International scientific name

Irbis, or Snow Leopard, or snow leopard(lat. Uncia uncia, according to another classification - lat. panthera uncia) is a large predatory mammal from the cat family that lives in the mountain ranges of Central Asia.

Appearance

Irbis is a relatively large cat. The length of the body with the head is 103-130 cm, the length of the tail itself is 90-105 cm. The height at the shoulders is about 60 cm. The males are somewhat larger than the females. The body weight of males reaches 45-55 kg, females - 22-40 kg. Rear foot length 22-26 cm.

By general view it resembles a leopard, but is smaller, more stocky, with a long tail, and is distinguished by its very long coat. The body is strongly elongated and squat, slightly raised in the region of the sacrum. If we compare the length of the tail and body, then of all the cats, the snow leopard has the longest tail, it is more than three-quarters of the body length.

The general tone of the color of the back and sides of the body is grayish-smoky, sometimes slightly yellowish. Against this background there are dark spots with unsharp outlines - large annular and small solid ones. This coloring perfectly masks the beast in its natural habitat - among dark rocks, stones, white snow and ice.

On a small head - short, wide-set ears and large, high-set eyes. The fur cover of the beast is very thick, lush and soft. Thick wool grows even between the toes and protects the paw pads in winter - from the cold, in summer - from hot stones.

Vibrissae are white and black, up to 10.5 cm long. The eyes are large, with a round pupil.

area

snow leopard jump

The range includes parts of the territories of 13 states: Afghanistan, Burma, Bhutan, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, China, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.

On the territory of Russia is the northwestern part of the range of the snow leopard. The total area of ​​probable habitats of the snow leopard in Russia is at least 60,000 km². It is found in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, in Khakassia, in Tyva and in the Altai Republic, Tunkinsky and Kitoysky bald mountains. However, there is a gradual decrease and fragmentation of the range.

Among the large cats, the snow leopard is the only permanent inhabitant of the highlands. Predominantly inhabits alpine meadows, treeless cliffs, rocky areas, stony placers, steep gorges and is often found in the snowy zone. At the same time, in a number of areas, the snow leopard lives at much lower altitudes, inhabiting the zone of tree and shrub vegetation.

In Mongolia, it has been found in the Mongolian Altai and Gobi Altai and in the Khangai mountains. In Tibet, it is found up to Altunshan in the north.

Character

Irbis do not emit a loud roar, characteristic of large cats, but purr like small ones. During the rut, the animals make sounds similar to bass meowing.

Observations of these animals in the wild have shown that snow leopards are very shy and avoid people. According to eyewitnesses, even a wounded snow leopard rarely attacks a person, unlike the latter, who hunts for a rare skin of a wild cat.

Irbis are very playful, love to wallow in the snow. They often slide down a steep hill on their backs, and at the bottom they quickly turn over and fall into a snowdrift on all four paws. After playing or hunting, they settle down to bask in the sun.

Staying in good location spirit, the snow leopard purrs just like a domestic cat.

Lifestyle

Nutrition

Irbis feeds on relatively large ungulates: Siberian mountain goat, argali. In the foothills, the snow leopard hunts roe deer and wild boar.

Its hunting area is large (up to 100 sq. km). The predator moves along the same routes, bypassing the pastures of potential victims known to it.

Like other high-mountain animals, the snow leopard makes regular migrations: in summer it follows ungulates to high-altitude alpine meadows, in spring - to the forest zone, and after heavy snowfalls it descends to the foothill plains.

In alpine meadows and rocky outcrops, the snow leopard, in addition to ungulates, catches marmots and ground squirrels, snowcocks and partridges. The leopard silently sneaks up on its prey and suddenly jumps on it. He can jump up to 10 meters in length and up to 3 in height. Not catching the prey immediately, he stops the pursuit after a few jumps.

Having killed a large animal, the predator drags it under a rock or a tree and starts eating. At one time, he eats only 2-3 kg of meat, and throws away the abundant leftovers of the meal and does not return to them anymore.

reproduction

Sexual maturity occurs at 3-4 years of age. The rut in nature takes place from January to March. The male meets with the female only at this time and does not take part in the subsequent upbringing of the cubs.

Pregnancy lasts about 100 days. The female arranges a lair in a secluded place, in a cave or in a crevice of a hard-to-reach gorge. There, 2-4 kittens are born.

The cubs are born blind and helpless weighing about 500 grams with a length of up to 30 cm, but after about 6-8 days they begin to see clearly. Newborn leopards are distinguished by pronounced dark pigmentation of the coat.

At the age of two months, the leopards begin to leave the den to play, from that time the mother gives them meat food.

At the age of three months, the cubs begin to follow their mother, and five to six months old already hunt with her. The whole family sneaks up on the prey, but the female makes the decisive throw.

Young snow leopards begin independent life next spring.

life in the zoo

The first snow leopard was donated to the Moscow Zoo in 1901 by the "Honorary Trustee of the Zoological Garden" K. K. Ushakov.

The snow leopard, also called the snow leopard, is the only big cat species that has managed to adapt to the harsh conditions in the highlands. Irbis is a representative of the top of the ecological pyramid on the mountain ranges of Central Asia. Often he is called the master of the mountains, because he is a permanent inhabitant of this area. Many experts argue that this type of cat has survived to this day due to living in hard-to-reach places. It is very interesting where the snow leopard lives and what it eats. After all, today the number of representatives of this species of cats is extremely small.

Appearance of the snow leopard

Outwardly, the irbis is an incredibly beautiful and graceful predator. This is a rather large cat with an ash-gray, sometimes brownish color and a bright ring-shaped pattern of dark spots located throughout the body. The snow leopard differs from the leopard in its ashy shade of fur and a long tail, which in its length is almost equal to the body of the animal. In addition, unlike its counterpart, the snow leopard has a thicker and more lush coat. The length of the beast reaches, as a rule, 170-190 cm, and its weight ranges from 50-70 kg. Males are always larger than females.

Regardless of where the snow leopard lives, its body size and color remain unchanged. Although some experts tend to claim the existence of several subspecies of the snow leopard, which appeared due to different geographical habitats.

Saving a View

Today it is very easy to find out where the snow leopard lives. After all, this species has long been listed in the Red Book, since its habitats are extremely small. This unpleasant phenomenon is due to the fact that in modern realities there are too many all kinds of threats for the life of the snow leopard. For example, in Russia, where the snow leopard lives, the species is gradually being destroyed by pastoralists and hunters, as well as the deteriorating condition environment due to the development of the mining industry and transport infrastructure. In addition, the abundance of the species is significantly affected by the reduction in the number of food objects.

Fortunately, over the past few years, in places where the snow leopard lives, the number of animals has stabilized. The situation has improved due to the opening of the Saylyugemsky National Park in Altai. True, the risk of extinction of the species is still quite high. In the places where the snow leopard lives in Russia, one can count about 70 representatives of the snow leopard, most of which live in Altai. Compared to 2002, now the number of animals in Russia has decreased by almost 3 times. This is due to the hunting of poachers who catch snow leopards in order to extract derivatives used in oriental medicine.

The threat of extinction

Once a single population of the snow leopard, today it is represented by only a third part, which exists only as unstable foci. Today, females that are able to breed are found only in a few centers where the snow leopard lives. In fact, a grouping of animals in which there are at least 3 adult females can be considered complete. So, unfortunately, despite some stabilization of the situation in Russia, the species of snow leopards today is under the threat of extinction.

Snow leopard breeding

This animal is characterized by a rather low rate of reproduction - the female snow leopard does not bring kittens annually, unlike most of her relatives. Rutting takes place in the spring, and babies are born at the end of the season or early summer. During the mating season, the male attracts the female with a special purr. After fertilization, the snow leopard leaves the female. Pregnancy in snow leopards lasts approximately 95-110 days, and a litter usually consists of 2-3 kittens.

Before the appearance of her baby, the female equips a kind of lair in some hard-to-reach place, most often in the gorges of rocks. And to insulate well-appointed house, the snow leopard tears out shreds of wool from its body and covers the floor of the den with them. Leopards are born completely blind and deaf, their weight reaches half a kilogram, in the first month the babies feed on mother's milk. In the middle of the season, the born offspring are already sent on their first hunt. Snow leopards become sexually mature at the age of 2-3 years.

Predator Habitat

Where does the irbis live? The snow leopard is a territorial animal that leads a solitary lifestyle, despite the fact that females raise their offspring for quite a long time. These animals equip their lairs in crevices of rocks or in caves. Each animal lives within a certain area, which it chooses individually. It is not common for an irbis to show aggression towards representatives of its own species in its own territory.

One or more females may live in the habitat of an adult male. The snow leopard marks its area different ways. Where is the snow leopard found? The predator often bypasses its territory, visiting the camps of wild ungulates and pastures. The beast moves along the same route, so in some places it appears several times during the day.

Irbis is considered the only representative of the cat family that has adapted to the harsh conditions of the highlands in Central Asia. Due to the inaccessibility of habitats, the snow leopard is still the least studied animal. Today, the irbis is a representative of the Red Book of the International Union and has the status of an endangered species in all countries where it lives. In total there are 12 such countries: China, India, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Bhutan, Afghanistan, Mongolia, Nepal, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan. In total, there are no more than 4 thousand snow leopards on the planet.

Irbis in Russia

In Russia, the snow leopard is found in the north of its current range. Only a few groups of snow leopards live in the mountains of the Altai-Sayan region. In addition, the predator can be found in Buryatia, Khakassia, Tuva, Transbaikalia, the Irkutsk region and the Krasnoyarsk Territory. According to experts, it is in Russia that the northernmost population group of the snow leopard lives. The number of this species in Russia is approximately 2% of the total number of snow leopards in the world. It can be said that the survival of predators in Altai largely depends on genetic and spatial relationships with animals in Mongolia and China.

Snow cats in Kazakhstan

The places where the snow leopard lives in Kazakhstan are distinguished by the richness and diversity of flora and fauna. Here, the snow leopard is found in light forests, among the rocks and in alpine meadows, where marmot colonies and pastures of ungulates are located. The highlands of Kazakhstan have an extremely complex terrain with many rocks, stones, abysses, gorges and snow-covered slopes. In these places, the risk of avalanches and mudflows is increased, which is why people rarely appear here. For the most part, it was thanks to this factor that the snow leopard was not exterminated in these parts. Other species of large cat animals that lived in more accessible places became extinct even before the creation of the Red Book.

The nature and lifestyle of the snow leopard

On its territory, the snow cat occupies the top of the food pyramid and experiences almost no competition from other predators. The leopard can easily handle prey that is three times its weight. As a rule, the animal hunts alone at night, carefully crawling up to the animal from behind a shelter or waiting for prey in ambush, hiding behind a rock. When the distance between the predator and potential prey is reduced to several tens of meters, the leopard emerges from the shelter and quickly overtakes the animal with large jumps. If the snow leopard misses, it pursues its prey for a maximum of 300 meters or does not chase it at all.

In the second half of the year, snow leopards regularly hunt in families: male, female and offspring. In general, snow leopards hunt only on their own territory - an exceptional need can force an animal to move to a foreign area. In times of famine, predators can go hunting near settlements, even attacking pets. However, hares, mountain goats, wild boars, snowcocks, rams, marmots and roe deer are considered the basis of the nutrition of snow leopards. Leopards eat grass and other greens only in summer as a supplement to their meat diet.

In general, for snow cats, hunting is not only a way to get food, but also a kind of entertainment. Irbis is able to track down a potential victim for hours, while practically not moving. Leopards have almost no enemies, so they are not at all afraid to hunt in the dark.

Only a wild wolf is capable of delivering trouble to the leopard, but even with such an animal, the leopard is quite easy to deal with. For people, a snow cat does not pose any threat: having noticed a person, a predator simply tries to quietly leave. True, in times of famine, cases of attacks by the beast were still recorded.

Relative to its other feline counterparts, the snow leopard has a quite friendly character. He can even be trained. In addition, tamed snow leopards are very fond of playing and spending time with people. When the predator is happy, he, like domestic cats, purrs. The leopard also knows how to growl, like its famous counterparts, however, it does not do it very loudly.