The clouded leopard (Mint Leopard) is found at high altitudes in the evergreen rainforests of Southeast Asia, in the islands of Sumatra and Borneo, the foothills of the Himalayas, Nepal, southern China and Taiwan. It is specialized for arboreal living, though it is a terrestrial cat in most of its habitat. Included in these specializations is the ability to climb down a vertical trunk headfirst, and in addition to traversing the treetops upright, it can move on horizontal branches by hanging beneath them and also dangle from a branch using only its hind legs.They are the most strikingly marked of all cats. The beautifully patterned markings of the clouded leopard give it an uncanny ability to traverse its forest environment in a ghostlike manner. Chinese describe its coat pattern as resembling mint leaves, resulting in the name "mint leopard." The modern-day sabretooth - the clouded leopard is distinct and stands alone in its own genus as Neofelis nebulosa, literally the new cat with a cloudy pelt. Some zoologists have classified the clouded leopard as a lesser cat, sticking with the genus neofelis, (its hyoid bones are intermediate between the two extremes: it can only roar softly). Others, place it in the genus panthera, and classify it as a greater cat.  
ORDER: Carnivora
SUBORDER:
FAMILY: Felidae
GENUS: Neofelis
SPECIES: nebulosa
SUBSPECIES: 4
MALAYSIAN NAME: Harimau Dahan meaning "tree tiger"
SIZE: 6 feet long (adult male; females are smaller)
WEIGHT: 40 lbs. to 66 lbs.
GESTATION: 85 - 90 days; 2 - 4 cubs, usually born in a hollow tree. Eyes open after 10 - 12 days, cubs are active after 5 weeks, independent at 9 months
COLORATION: The color of the body is grey, earthy brown, or yellowish brown on its back, white or pale tawny on its underside. The flanks and back consists of some six large, narrow, brown blotches, edged in black, and pale areas separating the blotches.The face has stripes on the cheeks and numerous small spots on the top of the head, with the backs of the ears blackish. The legs are spotted and the long tail, making up to 50% of the body length, is marked with broken rings.
LIFE SPAN: 10 - 15 years in the wild; 17 years in captivity
BEHAVIOUR: Largely arboreal, these nocturnal animals, prefer seclusion. Their daylight hours are spent sleeping in trees, while at night they hunt by laying motionless on overhanging branches, and spring on unsuspecting prey from above, or stalk and capture prey, on the forest floor. They are excellent tree climbers using their long heavy tails for balance. They lead a solitary life except during breeding period. Being secretive, little is known of the social organization of these elusive forest cats. Most of the facts about its social behavior comes from observations in zoological facilities.
DIET: Clouded leopards are rainforest dwellers and depend upon the forest and its intricate web of plants and animals for survival. The chief prey of the clouded leopard are monkeys, small deer, small orangutans and wild boars. They also eats birds, rodents, or domestic poultry. In captivity they are fed with ground horsemeat with vitamins, liver, chicken gizzards, quail and knuckle bone plus 1 rabbit a week.
HABITAT: Clouded leopards are found at high altitudes ( 6,500 ft.) in the dense, tropical rainforests, and mangrove swamps. They prefer the deep forest away from human habitation. The clouded leopard was previously thought to be highly arboreal based on anecdotal observations. However, there is no evidence to support this assumption. It now appears that trees are used primarily for resting sites, and clouded leopard movements are typically terrestrial.
FEATURES: The clouded leopard has characteristics of both the big cats (Panthera) and the small cats (Felis). It has a long, narrow body, a large tail, relatively short legs, and large broad paws. Clouded leopards are one of the best climbers with short powerful limbs and a long, bushy tail. They can run up and down a tree like a huge squirrel. They do not roar like the larger cats, and have long canines for shredding meat, a broad snout, narrow head, and excellent vision with yellow pupils. The clouded leopard has the largest canines in relation to its total body size of any of the living cat species.
The clouded leopard is endangered throughout Asia, although there is no information on population sizes. The Taiwanese subspecies has already become extinct. Clear cutting of forests for use as agricultural lands is its primary threat, as the clouded leopard requires large tracts of forest for hunting. It is a victim of hunting and has been poisoned as well, either as a livestock predator or for its coat, which is valuable.
Clouded leopards are hunted for their teeth as well as their skins. The clouded leopard has been persecuted for its coat for many years. People desire coats made of this fur because of its unique pattern. It takes about 20 to 30 cats to make one full-length coat. Lately, people are beginning to realize that furs look better on the animals themselves....... Hopefully, these animals won't have to worry about losing their furs !!! Clouded leopards are considered one of the most difficult large cats to breed in captivity, and breeding programs in zoos have been hampered by inadequate information. This cat is listed as endangered in the IUCN Red Data Book, and as an Appendix I species under CITES.
Wildlife Links
Big Cats On-line
Clouded Leopard
Virtual Zoo - Mammals: Big Cats
 
 Sign Guestbook View Guestbook
Copyright © Gerard D'Cruz 1997
|
