An introduction to The Ocelot and Margay And Other Rare Wild Cats Including Caracal, Clouded Leopard, Black Footed Cat, Fishing Cat and Iberian Lynx by Colette Anderson

Author:Colette Anderson [Anderson, Colette]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Publisher: EKL Publishing
Published: 2015-06-03T04:00:00+00:00

Clouded Leopard

The Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) lives in the foothills of the Himalaya Mountains in Southeast Asia and China. The IUCN classified the species as vulnerable in 2008, with no more than 10,000 still present in the wild. Major threats include deforestation and commercial poaching. The animals are killed for their fur and for other body parts believed to have healing properties in traditional Asian medicine.

The cats prefer forest habitats and dense cover, and have been recorded at altitudes as high as 12,200 feet / 3,720 meters.

There are three sub-species:

*| Neofelis nebulosa nebulosa – Southern China to eastern Myanmar

*| Neofelis nebulosa macrosceloides – Nepal to Myanmar

*| Neofelis nebulosa brachyura – Taiwan (considered extinct since the 1990s)

Clouded Leopards have dark gray to dark ochre fur covered in a black and dark pattern of blotches. The head and ears are spotted in black. Partially broken stripes run from the corner of the eye over the check and from the mouth to the neck. Similar marks appear on the nape and shoulders.

Each shoulder bears a large blotch of dusky grey emphasized with a posterior dark stripe passing to the foreleg and then breaking into irregular spots. On the flanks the blotches are bordered with looped, irregular curves. Spots cover the legs and underparts, with pairs of irregular spots on the tail.

Males are slightly larger than females with a body length of 31.9 – 42.5 inches / 81 - 108 cm and a tail length of 29.1 – 35.8 inches / 74 - 91 cm. Females by comparison are 27.2 - 37 inches long / 69 - 94 cm with tails that are 24 – 32.3 inches / 61 - 82 cm. The cats stand 19.7 – 21.6 inches / 50 - 55 cm at the shoulder and weigh 25 - 51 lbs. / 11.5 - 23 kg.

Sometimes likened to a modern Saber Tooth Tiger, Clouded Leopards have especially long canine teeth used to pierce their prey. They are highly talented climbers, coming down tree trunks headfirst and hanging from tree limbs by their hind paws to grasp items. The cats can also climb horizontal branches upside down with their backs toward the ground and can even jump forward from this position.

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