CLOUDED LEOPARD
Clouded leopards (Neofelis nebulosa) are regarded as the smallest of the big cats. Rarely seen in the wild, they get their name from the cloud forests they inhabit and the cloud-like markings on their fur. Despite their name they are not closely related to true leopards. In China, the clouded leopard is known as the “mint leopard” because of its markings. In Malaysia its is called the “tree tiger.” Some regard it is a relative of the snow leopard. In reality it is so different from other big cats it occupies its own genus. Clouded leopards were found in China, Nepal and northeast India were described British naturalist Edward Griffiths in 1821and were last big cat to be discovered.
Michael E. Ruane wrote in the Washington Post, “ The clouded leopard is is about the size of a medium-weight dog, with a small head, luminous eyes and long, white whiskers. It has weird black and tan spots that seem to blur into each other, huge paws and an extremely long tail.It is an acrobatic climber and can walk on the underside of tree branches or vertically down a tree trunk, the zoo said. And it has unusually long, sharp teeth that resemble the fangs of a poisonous snake. But the leopards are endangered in the wild and are hunted in Asia for their beautiful pelts. [Source: Michael E. Ruane, Washington Post, March 25, 2009]
Clouded leopards are one of the top predators in their range, especially where tigers and leopards are absent. They play a role in controlling populations of prey species, which effectively limits the impact which these populations have on the ecosystem. For example, by preying on cervids and keeping population size low, clouded leopards prevent excessive stress on plant populations. [Source: Katie Holmes, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=\
The average lifespan of wild clouded leopards is estimated to be 11 years. Individuals in zoos have been recorded living up to 17 years, with the average between 13 and 15 years. Hunting and habitat destruction by humans is considered to be among the main limiting factors of wild clouded leopard longevity. Clouded leopards also share parts of their geographic range with larger predators, such as tigers or leopards, that competer with clouded leopards for prey.
Clouded leopards are one of the most endangered large wild cats. Threatened by loss of habitat and hunting for fur and meat, they only live in old growth forests, a habitat that has been diminished and disrupted by slash and burn agriculture, logging and overgrazing. They are poached for food and pelts and easily caught using a fresh kills as bait. A subspecies native to Taiwan is already probably extinct.
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Clouded Leopard Habitat and Where It Lives
Clouded leopards spend most of its time in trees and live primarily in the mountainous rain forests of northeastern India, southern Tibet, southern China and Southeast Asia. Clouded leopards are found south of the Himalayas in Nepal, Bhutan, some areas of northeastern India,, Myanmar, Taiwan, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and mainland Malaysia. [Source: Katie Holmes, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=\
Clouded leopards live tropical forests at elevations from sea level to 3000 meters (9843 feet). They spend most of trees where they rest and hunt. Relatively it was discovered that they more time hunting on the ground than previously thought. Sightings of clouded leopards occur most often occur in primary evergreen tropical forest have also occurred been observed in other habitats, such as secondary forest, logged forest, mangrove swamp, grassland, scrub land, dry tropical forest, and coastal hardwood forest.
A subspecies of clouded leopards, the Sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa diardi), is now considered a separate species, Neofelis diardi. They are found on Borneo and Sumatra.
Clouded Leopard Subspecies
There are three subspecies (each of which occupies parts of their range); 1) Clouded leopards nebulosa is found from southern China to mainland Malaysia; 2_ Clouded leopards brachyura formerly lived in Taiwan but is now probably extinct; and 3) Clouded leopards macrosceloides is found from Myanmar to Nepal.
In 2006, researchers discovered that clouded leopards are actually two distinct species, with the now-named Sunda clouded leopards (N. diardi) endemic to the Sumatran and Bornean islands. Before this. Before this Sunda clouded leopards were classified as a subspecies of clouded leopards. They are now regarded as separate species based on molecular evidence. [Source: Megan Shersby, Live Science, December 9, 2023]
Clouded Leopard Characteristics
Clouded leopards are relatively small and have an elongated, powerfully-built body with short legs. They range in weight from 11 to 23 kilograms (24.2 to 50.6 pounds), with their average weight being 18-22 kilograms, and range in length from 1.23 to two meters (48.43 to 78.74 inches), with their average length being 1.54-1.95 meters. Adults usually stand at 50 to 60 centimeters at the shoulder. The head-body length is between 75 and 105 centimeters, and the tail length is between 79 and 90 centimeters, which is nearly as long as the body itself. Sexual Dimorphism (differences between males and females) is present: Males are slightly larger than females. Males weigh anywhere from 38 to 90 kilograms (85 to 200 pounds), and females from 28 to 55 kilograms 65 to 130 pounds). [Source: Katie Holmes, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=]
The legs of clouded leopards are relatively short compared to other felids, with the hind limbs being longer than the fore limbs. According to to Animal Diversity Web: The ankles have a wide range of motion and the feet are large and padded with retractile claws. As in other members of the family Felidae, the radius and the ulna are not fused, which allows for greater independence of motion. Clouded leopards have a digitigrade stance.
Clouded leopards have the longest canine teeth, relative to the size of their head, of any cat. They can be four centimeters or longer. The front part of their jaw has been modified to support these very long, widely spaced teeth that are able to penetrate deep into prey. A study published October 2023 in the journal Science Advances noted their teeth proportions are similar to some extinct sabertooth species. The skull is long and narrow compared to other felids and has well-developed crests to support the jaw muscles. A wide diastema lies between the premolars and canines, and individuals are often missing their first premolar. The nose pad is pink and sometimes has small black spots, and the ears are short and round. The iris of the eye is usually brownish yellow or grayish green, and the pupils contract into vertical slits.
Clouded leopard have remarkable ankles, which they can rotate by nearly 180 degrees. The incredible flexibility in these joints enables them to descend tree trunks headfirst. In captivity, these cats have been observed climbing upside down along horizontal branches and hanging down by their hind feet, enabling them to jump down onto prey below.[Source: Megan Shersby, Live Science, December 9, 2023]
Clouded leopards have the longest tails all cats relative to body size. They help the animals balance in trees. It has also been said the can use their tails like monkeys. Clouded leopards have paws with large pads ideal climbing. They can leap from branch to branch, climb trunks and hang from their hind legs and halt falls by applying a single paw to a branch.
Clouded Leopard Markings
The clouded leopards markings — irregular, cloud-like, black-edged ovals, squares and rosettes on a tawny grey, brownish-yellow or silver background — are the source of the animal’s name. To some the markings look reptilian, sort of like patterns on snake-skin cowboy boot. Because their stripes and rosette-like markings blend in so well with the shadows they are nearly impossible to see in their rain forest habitats. Like the tree-living margay of Central America, clouded leopards have flexible ankle joints that allow them to climb down trees head first and a long, bushy tail that is used for balance.
The distinctive cloud-shaped markings of their coats make clouded leopards unmistakable. According to Animal Diversity Web: The fur is marked with elliptical blotches of a darker color than the bac kilograms round and the posterior edge of each blotch is partially framed in black. The blotches sit on a bac kilograms round field that varies from yellowish brown to dark gray. [Source: Katie Holmes, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=\
The muzzle is white and solid black spots mark the forehead and cheeks. The ventral side and limbs are marked with large, black ovals. Two solid black bars run from behind the ears along the back of the neck down to the shoulder blades and the bushy, thick tail is ringed in black. In juveniles, lateral spots are solid, not clouded. These will change by the time the animal is approximately six months old. /=\
The patterned coat of clouded leopard serves as camouflage when they are stalking their prey and attempting to remain hidden from other predators. Kittens are born with the large spots that are characteristic of their adult counterparts, but these spots are solid black until approximately six months of age.
Clouded Leopard Food and Hunting Behavior
range of the clouded leopard and Sunda clouded leopard
Cloud leopard are also solitary hunters and for the most part are strictly carnivores (mainly eat meat or animal parts) and mostly eat terrestrial vertebrates such as mammals and reptiles but also eat birds and fish. They attack their prey secretly and kill their prey with their paws and teeth. They eat monkeys, small-sized deer, wild rabbits, birds,gibbons, pheasants, otters, rats, squirrels, other rodents, orangutans, wild boar, civets, fish, domestic animals, and deer. It is believed that they can hunt both from the ground and from trees, often using a tactic favored by regular leopards — leaping from tree branches onto prey. They are capable of stalking monkeys and bird in the trees. They avoid danger and rest mainly in tree. There have been reports of attacks on small water buffalo but no reported human attacks.
Prey species include argus pheasant, stump-tailed macaque, slow loris, silvered leaf monkey, sambar, hog deer, Indian muntjac, lesser mouse-deer, wild boar, bearded pig, Malayan pangolin, Indochinese ground squirrel, Asiatic brush-tailed porcupine, and masked palm civet. They have also been known to kill domestic animals, including calves, pigs, goats, and poultry. Fish remains have been found in the excrement of wild clouded leopards. [Source: Katie Holmes, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=\
Unlike lions and cheetahs in Africa, which stalk or race across the open plains in pursuit of prey, clouded leopards chase their prey through the trees or on the forest floor or perhaps leap from tree branches onto animal prey on the ground. They don't kill with a bite to the throat as is the case with many of their large feline cousins. Instead, they bite the back of the neck to kill their prey by severing the spinal cord.[Source: Megan Shersby, Live Science, December 9, 2023]
Clouded leopards pursue prey, both in trees and on the ground, by stalking quietly and then pouncing quickly. They usually aim their bite to the back of the neck, which snaps the spine. They pull flesh off of the carcass by stabbing the meat with its incisors and large canines and then abruptly jerking the head back. /=\
Clouded Leopard Behavior
Clouded leopards are very secretive and information about them is limited. Virtually nothing is known about their social habits, and nearly nothing was known about them in the wild period until Alan Rabinowitz did a survey on them throughout their Asian range. Many stories surround them and several indigenous groups regard them as sacred. In captivity clouded leopards sometimes have playful, affectionate relations with their keepers.
Clouded leopards are arboreal (live mainly in trees), scansorial (able to or good at climbing), diurnal (active during the daytime), nocturnal (active at night), crepuscular (active at dawn and dusk), motile (move around as opposed to being stationary), sedentary (remain in the same area), solitary, territorial (defend an area within the home range). [Source: Katie Holmes, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=\
The size of their range territory is 30 to 40 square kilometers. Radio-telemetry studies in national parks in Southeast Asia have found that male and female clouded leopards have ranges that are similar in size. A typical clouded leopard contains a heavily used core area of three to five square kilometers. Male and female home ranges overlap substantially.
Clouded leopards are solitary and spend much of their time in trees, where they move about with great agility. Clouded leopards are most active a night. They move quietly and stealthily and are good at climbing trees. They catch monkeys or birds on trees, often hiding in trees and ambushing prey by jumping down on them when an animal passes by. They sometimes moves alone along hillcrest following the footsteps of ungulates. They usually hunts wild fowls and medium-size mammals but they may also attack large-size ungulates.
Much of what has been surmised about the behavior of clouded leopards in the wild is conjecturebased upon observations of animals in captivity. According to Animal Diversity Web: Large feet, short legs, and a long tail make clouded leopards well-adapted for arboreal trees), living. They are extremely adept in trees, and they have been observed engaging in acrobatics such as climbing slowly head first down tree trunks, hanging upside down while moving along horizontal branches, and hanging from branches using only their hind feet. Clouded leopards are able to hunt in the trees, preying on birds, monkeys, and rodents.
Clouded leopards are not strictly arboreal hunters. They may spend more time resting in trees than hunting. Using trees as refuges is thought to be a means of escaping the terrestrial leeches found in tropical forests in Asia; they also protect these cats from larger predators, such as leopards and tigers. The amount of time clouded leopards spend in trees may vary between different habitats.
Diurnal (active during the daytime) activity has been observed in both wild and captive cats; therefore, clouded leopards may not be solely nocturnal. Daily activity patterns probably vary with activity patterns of prey in different regions, as well as the amount of human activity in particular areas. Nothing is known about the social systems of wild clouded leopards. A male and female found together probably make up a mating pair, coming together only to breed. A female may also be seen with her cubs.
Clouded Leopard Senses and Communication
Clouded leopards sense and communicate with vision, touch, sound and chemicals usually detected by smelling. They also leave scent marks produced by special glands and placed so others can smell and taste them. Like other felids, clouded leopards have keen vision as well as good senses of smell and hearing. They also have vibrissae on their muzzles, which detect tactile stimuli, especially at night. Captive clouded leopards mark their territories by clawing trees, urine spraying, scraping, and head rubbing, all of which are typical scent-marking behaviors. [Source: Katie Holmes, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=\
Katie Holmes wrote in Animal Diversity Web: Vocalizations made by captive animals are characteristic of members of the family Felidae, which include growling, mewing, hissing, and spitting. Clouded leopards do not purr, but they do make a low-intensity snorting noise called “prusten” when they have friendly interactions with other individuals. Clouded leopards, tigers, snow leopards, and jaguars are the only felids that use this type of vocalization.
Clouded leopard also have a long moaning call that can be heard across distances. The purpose of this call is unknown, but observers think it is a form of communication between animals in different territories, perhaps as a mating call or to warn other cats away from their territory.
Clouded Leopard Mating and Reproduction
Clouded leopards engage in seasonal breeding and year-round breeding. The length of time between matings for captive cats has ranged from 10 to 16 months. In captivity, breeding usually occurs between December and March, but it can occur year round. The number of offspring ranges from one to fiver, with the average number of offspring being being two.[Source: Katie Holmes, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=\
Male clouded leopards are believed to attract mates by climbing on hills or high perches and letting out deep, moaning calls that carry a great distance through the forest. Katie Holmes wrote in Animal Diversity Web: All that is known about the mating behavior of clouded leopards comes from observations of captive animals. This lack of knowledge concerning wild mating behavior has made it extremely difficult to breed these animals in captivity. Arranged mating encounters at zoos often conclude with aggression between the two individuals, and the male often kills the female with a bite to the back of the neck. For this reason, many experts believe that compatibility between a male and female is important for productive matings. The most successful matings have occurred between a male and female that were raised together from only a few weeks of age.
However, researchers do not believe that clouded leopards are monogamous in the wild. In zoos, mating usually occurs between December and March, but it can occur at any time throughout the year. Because clouded leopards occupy tropical habitats, breeding may be less seasonal in the wild. The mating pair copulates many times over the course of several days. The male typically grasps the female with a bite to the back of the neck before an intromission, and the female vocalizes once the intromission occurs. In the wild, clouded leopards use elevated areas to deliver a long moaning call that travels well. This call is suspected to be a mating call, but it may be a territorial. /=\
Clouded Leopard Offspring and Parenting
Females are thought to raise their young in ground-level dens, concealed by vegetation, or the hollow of trees. The time when females are in heat varies. The gestation period for clouded leopard ranges from 85 to 109 day, with average gestation period being 88-95 days. The female does not appear pregnant until the third trimester, at which time her abdomen and nipples become larger. The age in which young are weaned ranges from 10 to 14 weeks and the average time to independence is 10 months. Femalesand males reach sexual or reproductive maturity at 20 to 30 months, with the average being 23-24 months. Males reach sexual or reproductive maturity at 20 to 30 months.
Clouded leopards are altricial. This means that young are born relatively underdeveloped and are unable to feed or care for themselves or move independently for a period of time after birth. /=\ A newborn kitten weighs between 140 and 280 grams, depending on the size of the litter. Kittens first open their eyes between two and eleven days of age. Clouded leopard kittens begin walking at 20 days of age, and they can climb trees as early as six weeks old. They start to consume flesh between seven and 10 weeks old, and they are weaned shortly thereafter. It has been reported that clouded leopard kittens are able to kill chickens at 10 weeks old.
Pre-birth, pre-weaning and pre-independence provisioning and protecting are done by females. There is an extended period of juvenile learning. After mating, male and female clouded leopards separate, and the male does not take part in the rearing of offspring. When the kittens are born, the mother licks them to keep them clean and warm. She continues to clean them until they learn to do so themselves. It is unknown where a female keeps her young while she is hunting, but she probably hides them in dense vegetation. Females produce milk for the kittens, which is their sole source of nutrition until they are between seven and 10 weeks old. Until they are approximately 10 months old, the mother continues to provide them with prey while they grow and learn to hunt for themselves. At this age, they leave their mothers to find their own territories. /=\
Clouded Leopard, Humans and Conservation
"The mainland clouded leopard lives in the dense forests across South and Southeast Asia showcasing remarkable adaptations for life in the tree tops," Wai-Ming Wong, director of small cat conservation science for Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organization, told Live Science. "However, deforestation and agricultural expansion threatens much of the available habitat across their range. It is crucial to develop effective conservation management plans that include a range of stakeholders from local communities to government agencies to safeguard the future of this charismatic species," Wong added. [Source: Megan Shersby, Live Science, December 9, 2023]
On the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List clouded leopards are listed as Vulnerable. On the US Federal List they are classified as Endangered. In CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild) they are in Appendix I, which lists species that are the most endangered among CITES-listed animals and plants. [Source: Katie Holmes, Animal Diversity Web (ADW) /=\
According to Animal Diversity Web: The main predators of clouded leopards are humans, who use dogs to track and corner them. For this reason, clouded leopards avoid humans and they are rarely found near human settlements. Clouded leopards share much of their range with tigers and leopards. In these shared areas clouded leopards seem to have a more arboreal and nocturnal lifestyle. The reason for this is undocumented, but researchers suspect that tigers and leopards kill clouded leopards to eliminate competition. Therefore, clouded leopards are more active at night and spend more time in trees to avoid these large predators.
Clouded leopards have been hunted extensively for their pelts, which may be bought on the wildlife black market. The smuggling of skins from mainland China has increased as the demand for clouded leopard pelts in Taiwan has been renewed. Prior to the conversion of tribal peoples in Taiwan to Christianity, clouded leopard skins were used in ceremonies and the hunter was considered heroic for killing these animals. Today, ownership of a clouded leopard pelt is a status symbol among men in some Asian countries. Authorities have found pelts for sale in many markets throughout mainland Southeast Asia as well. Body parts, especially claws, teeth and bones, are still used in traditional medicine practices. Clouded leopard occasionally appears on menus at upscale restaurants in Asia. In addition, live animals are traded illegally as pets.
The chief threat for clouded leopard populations is habitat loss due to deforestation for agricultural purposes. As agricultural lands continue to encroach on clouded leopard habitat, incidences of clouded leopard attacks on livestock have increased. Clouded leopards prey on calves, goats, pigs, and poultry. Villagers use poison to kill predators such as clouded leopards.
Little is known about the number of clouded leopards. Population estimates are difficult to make because the clouded leopard are so secretive and well hidden in trees. In a survey conducted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in 1991 in southeastern China, clouded leopard pelts were common on the black market. The Taiwanese purchase most clouded leopard products and the Taiwanese subspecies of clouded leopards (Clouded leopards brachyura) is thought to be extinct as a result. Trade of clouded leopard products has been prohibited by CITES since 1975. Laws now protect clouded leopards over the majority of their range. Hunting is strictly prohibited in Bangladesh, Brunei, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam; hunting is regulated in Laos.
Still, prohibition of hunting of clouded leopards does not necessarily decrease demand and pelts have been reported on sale in urban markets in Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Nepal, and Thailand. Clouded leopards face persecution by farmers who feel that their livestock is at risk. Populations have been fragmented by deforestation, increasing the susceptibility of the entire species to infectious disease and natural catastrophic events. Efforts have been made in Nepal, Malaysia, and Indonesia to establish national parks in order to sustain populations of clouded leopards. Unfortunately, due to their elusive nature and dense forest habitats, data on the numbers actually surviving in parks are limited and possibly inaccurate.
bornean clouded leopard
New Species of Clouded Leopard
The cloud leopards of Borneo and Sumatra are slightly darker than mainland species and have smaller and different-shaped cloud-like markings. In 1823, a zoologist described them as a separate species but later the designation was changed to a subspecies, In the later 2000s, DNA analysis found that DNA of clouded leopards from Borneo-Sumatra are is as different from mainland clouded leopards as that of lions and tigers and this the Borneo-Sumatra clouded leopards was declared a new species: the Borneo cloud leopard (or Sunderland cloud leopard).
The World Wildlife Fund said American scientists compared the DNA of the clouded leopard with that of its mainland cousin and determined the two populations diverged some 1.4 million years ago. "Genetic research results clearly indicate that the clouded leopard of Borneo should be considered a separate species," WWF quoted Dr. Stephen O'Brien of the U.S. National Cancer Institute, which carried out the tests, as saying. [Source: AP, March 15, 2007[
Andrew Kitchener, a Scottish scientist who led a study of the markings of the Borneo cloud leopard, told the Times of London that the Borneo leopard has smaller cloud-shaped markings than the mainland cat, a double stripe along the back instead of a single one, more spots within each cloud and a darker coloration. “The moment we started comparing the skins, it was clear we were comparing two species.”
See Separate Article: SUNDA CLOUDED LEOPARDS: factsanddetails.com
Zoo Breeding of Clouded Leopards
In captivity, male clouded leopards have a nasty habit of killing their mates. This makes them difficult to breed in captivity. Young leopards that are put together generally get along. The easiest way to breed them in captivity is using artificial insemination.
Michael E. Ruane wrote in the Washington Post, “The zoo had a successful breeding program for clouded leopards during the 1980s and early 1990s, but it was halted in 1993 because of fears of inbreeding among related leopards across the country. The program proved difficult to resume. The zoo's animal reproduction expert, JoGayle Howard, said zoos across the United States and in Thailand found that when a male and a female were put together to breed, the larger male often would pounce on the female and kill her with a fatal bite to the back of the neck. [Source: Michael E. Ruane, Washington Post, March 25, 2009]
When a female did become pregnant, she often killed her cubs accidentally or intentionally, Howard said. Experimentation eventually suggested that if a male and female were raised together, the male would not kill the female once they reached adulthood and mated, Howard said. "You want to put the male in with the female, pair them up as early as possible," she said. Hannibal and Jao Chu were such a pair. They were imported from Thailand last year, Howard said, and reached puberty together. Lang said experts believed the two mated at the center but were not certain. Later, curators realized Jao Chu looked as if she might be pregnant.
She was placed on a pregnancy watch when she turned down her usual snack of two dead mice. A few days later she vanished from the area of her enclosure that is monitored by video cameras, and about 1:30 a.m., she was spotted in a corner with the two cubs. The leopard’s keeper Ken Lang was worried because the cubs were on a concrete floor and could become chilled. He wanted to get them into the warm incubator as soon as possible. He said he gathered other curators and, armed with a net, three people reentered the enclosure, separated the cubs from the mother, who backed off, and gathered up the babies.
The cubs were taken to the center's veterinary hospital, examined and found to be a little cold but in good health. One weighed 258 grams (about half a pound), the other 270 grams. Their sexes could not immediately be determined. They will be raised on formula. Later they appeared robust and squeaked loudly as Lang, in green scrubs and rubber gloves, took their temperatures and bottle fed them. When Lang was finished, he turned out the lights in the room and locked the big steel door, where there was a sign that read: "Quarantine."
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Last updated January 2025