MEET THE MYSTERIOUS CLOUDED LEOPARD
Clouded leopards are a medium-sized cat that get their name from the cloud-like markings on their body. These markings provide perfect camouflage in their dappled forest habitat.
The colour of the coat varies from tawny brown to silvery grey, with black markings. The long thick tail is also covered in black rings and provides an excellent balancing aid, and their legs are quite short and stocky, providing a low centre of gravity for life in the trees.
They are among the best climbers in the cat family and are able to climb upside down, move face first down a tree trunk and hang from branches by their hind legs. Their hind feet possess flexible ankle joints to allow this.
CLOUDED LEOPARD FAST FACTS
Scientific Name:
Neofelis nebulosa
Conservation Status:
Vulnerable
Wild Population:
Fewer than 10,000
Body Length:
120–180 cm (including tail)
Weight:
14–24 kg
Gestation:
85–93 days
Number of Young:
1–5 cubs
Habitat:
Primarily lowland tropical rainforests, also dry woodlands and secondary forest on occasions.
Distribution:
Historically their range covered much of Southeast Asia from Nepal and southern China through Thailand, Indonesia and Borneo. This range has been reduced due to habitat loss and poaching.
DIET
Birds, squirrels, monkeys, deer and wild pigs. It was originally thought they hunted in trees, though more recently it has been proven that most hunting takes place on the ground.
BEHAVIOUR
Primarily a crepuscular species (active at dawn and dusk), very little is known of the social behaviour of wild clouded leopards. They are most likely solitary, unless breeding or with cubs.
THREATS
Clouded leopards face many threats in South-east Asia. Their habitat is being destroyed for logging and agriculture such as palm oil plantations, as well as poaching for their pelts and bones by both commercial and subsistence farmers.
