Clouded Leopard – Neofelis Nebulosa
The clouded leopard gets its name from the cloudlike markings on its coat. The hunting of this big cat for its magnificent pelt is one of several threats to its survival. The clouded leopard is not actually a leopard at all. In fact, the species is sufficiently distinct to be classified all by itself. The skull and teeth of the clouded leopard are similar to those of big cats such as lions and tigers. However, it is unable to roar loudly like its large cousins, and its appearance is more like that of smaller cats, including lynx and ocelots.
The Malaysian name for the clouded leopard is rinaudahan, meaning tree tiger, and it is indeed one of the most accomplished feline climbers. Its broad, flexible paws grasp branches, and its long tail serves as an effective counterbalance. The clouded leopard also has remarkably flexible ankle joints-captive individuals have been observed dangling upside down from branches by just one back leg! Its arboreal skill is put to good use when hunting; the leopard will sometimes ambush unsuspecting prey by pouncing on them from above. It captures and kills monkeys and birds by knocking them off the branches of trees, just as a domestic cat swipes at smaller prey. Nevertheless, this adaptable cat also does much of its hunting on the ground, stalking wild pigs, deer, and cattle until it is close enough to launch a sudden fatal attack.
Starting Life
Little is known about the clouded leopard’s social behavior and courtship in the wild, except that the animals appear to be solitary until the breeding season begins. Studies of individuals in zoos around the world have provided basic information about how the clouded leopard breeds. The young are born after a gestation of approximately three months. Each cub weighs 5 to 10 ounces (150 to 280 g) at birth, and its eyes remain closed for the first 10 to 12 days. The young begin to take solid food after 10 to 11 weeks, but the mother will continue to suckle them until they are about five months old. They are born with plenty of yellowish-gray fur marked with dark spots. The adult coat is developed at six months, and the youngsters reach independence about three months later.
A Fragile Future
There are four geographically distinct subspecies of clouded leopard, found in Taiwan, Borneo and Malaysia, Nepal and Burma, and also China. However, there have been no recent sightings of the Taiwanese subspecies, known as the Formosan clouded leopard, and there are fears that it may already have become extinct in the wild. Elsewhere the clouded leopard survives in the most remote and undisturbed areas of mountain forests. The main problems facing the animal throughout its range are all too familiar. It is hunted for its magnificent pelt, and its teeth and bones are considered prized ingredients in traditional Eastern medicines.
Erosion of the clouded leopard’s habitat-as a result of deforestation by the timber industry and forest clearance for human settlement is even more of a problem. Even when they are not being persecuted, the leopards are running out of places to live. Clouded leopards are being bred in captivity around the world, so reintroduction programs may be possible in the future, but that can only happen if areas of suitable habitat can be preserved. Clouded leopards prefer to live in dense tropical forest, where they are found at altitudes of up to 7, 000 feet (2,100 m). However, they will also occupy more marginal habitats such as swampy areas and sparsely forested terrain.
Clouded leopard – Neofelis nebulosa
- Family: Felidae
- World population: Unknown, but no more than a few thousand
- Distribution: Asia, including Nepal, southern China, Burma, Indochina, parts of India and possibly Bangladesh, mainland Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo and Java, Thailand, Vietnam; probably now extinct in Taiwan
- Size: Length head/body: 28-43 in (75-110 cm); tail: 35-59 in (90-150 cm). Weight: 25-66 lb (16-30 kg)
- Form: Large, robust-looking cat with short legs and a long tail. The yellowish coat is distinctively marked with large dark patches, each with a pale, cloudlike center. The underside, legs, and head are spotted and streaked. The eyes are yellow, and the ears are rounded
- Diet: Deer, cattle, goats, wild pigs, monkeys, reptiles, and birds; stalked or ambushed by day and night
- Breeding: Only observed in captivity; 1-5 (usually 2-4) young born March-August. Lives up to 17 years in captivity
- Related endangered species: No close relatives. Taiwanese subspecies may already be extinct
- Habitat: Dense mountain forests
