Snow Leopard Shots, This Time from National Geographic

It wasn't long before Apple would show off Aperture's capabilities using (what else?) Snow Leopard - not the OS, though, but the actual feline. National Geographic photographer Steve Winter reviewed around 30,000 snow leopard images in Aperture, Apple Hot news reveals.

The pictures were taken in Central Asia and published in a recent National Geographic article and gallery. When Steve Winter was editing his snow leopard photos in Apple's Aperture, "he was literally seeing them for the very first time," Apple claims. "Knowing Snow Leopards to be notoriously camera shy, Winter set up 14 camera traps to capture remotely the photos selected for the recent National Geographic article and gallery."

Naturally, the cameras are the only "eyes" able to see snow leopards rubbing against stones (like all cats do), or marking their territory. "These animals are often quite predictable," says researcher Tom McCarthy of the Snow Leopard Trust. "They usually mark at the base of a cliff, or on an overhanging rock, or along ridgeline." The researcher also says that, at naptime, the beast shows a consistent preference for spots offering clear views of the surrounding terrain.

"Long, muscular hind legs enable snow leopards to leap seven times their own body length," the National Geographic description goes, "but such prowess hasn't kept them out of harm's way. The cats will flourish, say conservationists, only when they become more valuable alive than dead." Unfortunately, snow leopards are an endangered species. They feed on pretty much the same animals farmers grow, so there's always a conflict between the local folks and snow leopards.

However, there is "one ray of hope-a livestock vaccination program that changes the economic calculus for many farmers." Organizations are hoping that this is achievable. Farmers say that if someone is willing to pay to inoculate their herds, then fewer of their animals will die from disease. "So when a Snow Leopard takes out one or two of my animals, I pledge not to reach for my rifle."