Clouded Leopard

• Clouded Leopard  Classification and Evolution

The Clouded Leopard is a medium sized feline that is found inhabiting the dense tropical jungles of south-east Asia. The Clouded Leopard is the smallest of the world's big cats and despite it's name, it is not actually that closely related to Leopards and is instead believed by many to be an evolutionary link between big cats and small cats. Clouded Leopards are incredibly shy animals and coupled with their highly nocturnal lifestyle has meant that little is known about their behaviour in the wild as they are very rarely seen. The Clouded Leopard has recently been split into two separate species which are the Clouded Leopard (found on the mainland) and the Sunda Clouded Leopard (Borneo and Sumatra). Both species are already very rare with numbers constantly declining due to the hunting of them for their meat and fur, along the loss of vast areas of their tropical forest habitat.

• Clouded Leopard Anatomy and Appearance

The Clouded Leopard is one the most distinctive of all the big cats and one of the most beautiful. As their name suggests, their yellow to grey coloured coat is patterned with large, cloud-like markings that are lined with black and are dark in the centre. Their small but stocky bodies are supported by short legs and like other cat species (besides the Cheetah), the Clouded Leopard is able to retract it's claws into the skin on it's toes to keep them sharp. One of the most distinctive features of the Clouded Leopard is their rather long canines which can grow up to two inches long, making them about the same length as those of a Tiger. They have has two broad black bars on the back of their neck and black rings that run the length of their incredibly long tail. The tail of a Clouded Leopard can reach 65cm in length and is used to help the animal to balance whilst moving about in the trees.

• Clouded Leopard Distribution and Habitat

The Clouded Leopard is natively found in south-east Asia throughout a number of countries including India, Southern China, Burma, Nepal, throughout Indochina and on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. It was once also found in Taiwan but is now widely thought to be extinct there. Clouded Leopards spend nearly all their lives in the trees and so prefer dense forest habitats including both tropical and subtropical forests and jungles, and at altitudes of up to 2,000 meters. However, despite seemingly only being found in very dense rainforest, the Clouded Leopard has also been recorded in a variety of other habitats including in tall grasslands in Nepal and in the mangrove swamps of Borneo. The highest population is thought to reside on the island of Borneo but they are threatened throughout their natural range by deforestation to clear land for agriculture or by loggers.