Images of a trio of snow leopards were said to have been caught by a camera installed in a nature reserve in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

An infrared camera in Lop Nor Wild Camel National Nature Reserve captured the cats navigating the icy waters of a frigid valley in February, staff at the reserve administration said on Thursday.

Snow leopards are a Class-A protected animal and are usually found in the Himalayan ranges of Central and South Asia.