Snow leopards are so fit for their environment that they can basically camouflage right into their surroundings.

They can hide in plain sight!

You would think that such a strikingly big, beautiful cat would be easy to spot, but apparently that’s not the case.

This photo, captured by a professional wildlife photographer, Saurabh Desai, is proof of that.

The snapshot of this elusive wild cat was captured in the Spiti Valley of Northern India, where thousands of snow leopards live.

His photo has gone viral and is, in essence, breaking the internet. Why? Because it’s driving people crazy all around the world.

Desai claims there’s a snow leopard in it… but where?

Apparently, the cat is front and center. It had been the subject of his photograph, but blended in so well with its surroundings that it made it almost impossible to see. Can you see it?

Take another look.

Desai named his piece The Art of Camouflage and captured the moment in the Himalayan mountains. He told My Modern Met:

“I was on my search of the world’s most illusive cat, which is also known as ‘Grey Ghost’ in the popular local language.”

Not only did he capture a moment in which the cat was totally camouflaged, but it was also looking right at him!

“I spent almost 3 years in search of this amazing cat, and when I found it up and close to me, I was speechless.”

The conditions on the day Desai captured this viral hidden cat photo were not ideal. Desai was at an altitude of 17,000 feet, oxygen levels were low, and temperatures were below -30 degrees C (-22 F).

Have you managed to spot it? Not yet? Don’t worry – you’re not alone!

Snow leopards are called “shan”, in the local Ladakhi language, and even locals have trouble spotting them because of how well they blend into the mountains.

Desai certainly achieved what he set out to do!

Alright, if you haven’t found the Snow leopard yet, here’s a hint…

If you zoom in, you can see the striking leopard staring back at you!

Pretty incredible!

Desai told The Dodo:

“[the locals] say that often they don’t see the ‘shan’ but ‘shan’ always sees them.”

And here you can really see why!

“The picture depicts the snow leopard trying to get off the cliff, but observing our presence, it decided to wait until it got really dark and it stayed there on the edge.”

That would be both incredible, and a little terrifying, don’t you think?

Luckily, snow leopards are very solitary creatures, so Saurabh Desai didn’t have to worry about a pack of ‘shan’ sneaking up behind him. But it was definitely wise of him to keep an eye on the big cat!

He is no stranger to photographing dangerous and elusive animals. He has won numerous awards for his work, which focuses on wildlife all over the world.

Not all of the animals in his photos are this hard to find, but this happened to be the perfect storm of conditions to create an unintentional big-cat version of Where’s Waldo.

His photography usually includes interesting perspectives and artistic stylings. Just look at how striking this photo is – it looks like the cats are dancing!

You can check out more of Saurabh Desai’s stunning photography on his website, Visual Poetries.

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Source: The Dodo, The Better India