This is the incredible moment a snow leopard stalks its prey through a mountain kingdom.

Drone footage shows the elusive big cat moving through deep snow, following tracks left by other animals in Erzait Ulu Township in Hejing County, Xinjiang, northwestern China, on January 5.

With the snow almost reaching its thick, furry belly, the endangered predator appears perfectly at ease in its natural habitat, far from human presence.

Once hunted ruthlessly for their skins and bones, snow leopards are now on the brink of extinction.

In this rare clip, the animal appears strong and healthy. At one point, it glances warily back at the camera before vanishing over a ridge.

The snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is native to the mountain ranges of Central and South Asia.

The species is listed as 'Vulnerable' on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and is primarily threatened by poaching and habitat destruction due to infrastructure development.

Estimates suggest that fewer than 10,000 mature individuals remain in the wild, with numbers expected to decline by about 10 per cent by 2040.