DESCRIPTION: The clouded leopard has a long, narrow body, a large tail, relatively short legs, and large broad paws. They are the most strikingly marked of all cats. Its side pattern consists of some six large, narrow, brown blotches, edged in black, and pale areas separating the blotches. On their backs the clouded leopards have a series of large open-centered spots, and their undersides are pale with few spots. They have long canines for shredding meat, and have been compared to the extinct saber-tooth tigers in this regard. The snout is rather broad, the head quite narrow, and the pupils yellow.

SIZE: The adult male clouded leopard is approximately 6 feet long, and weighs between 35 and 50 pounds. Females are somewhat smaller.

HABITAT: Clouded leopards prefer the deep forest away from human settlement.

RANGE: Inhabits Nepal and Sikkim to southern China, Hainan and Formosa and south to Sumatra, the Malay states and Borneo's montane forests.

FOOD SOURCE: The chief prey of the clouded leopard are monkeys, small deer, and wild boars, which it ambushes from the trees or stalks from the ground. It may also take birds, rodents, or domestic poultry.

BEHAVIOR: Largely arboreal, clouded leopards are excellent tree climbers; they use their long heavy tails for balance. They are nocturnal animals, prefer seclusion, and are rarely seen. Their daylight hours are spent sleeping in trees, while at night they hunt by stalking their prey from the trees or on the ground. Little else is known of the social organization of these elusive creatures.

REPRODUCTION: Solitary except during breeding period. The gestation period is 90 days; the litter consists of 2-4 cubs, which are usually born in a hollow tree. Eyes are open after 10-12 days, and cubs are active after 5 weeks.

POPULATION: While the population of clouded leopards is unknown, it is thought to be in decline based on the number of pelts available on the black market, and low numbers of leopard sitings in by resident peoples of its home range.

LONGEVITY: Unknown in the wild; the clouded leopard has lived 17 years in captivity.