What is Clouded Leopard?

Table of Contents☰

About Clouded Leopard:

It is a wild cat inhabiting dense forests of the Himalayas through mainland Southeast Asia into South China.
There are two species of clouded leopards: the clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), found on the mainland of southeastern Asia, and the Sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi), found on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.
They are one of the most ancient cat species. However, they are neither a true great cat nor a true small cat, because they cannot roar or purr.
Habitat and Distribution:
- It is found from Nepal, Bangladesh, and India through Indochina to Sumatra and Borneo, and northeastward to southern China and formerly Taiwan.
- They prefer to live in lowland tropical rainforests. However, they can also be found in dry woodlands and secondary forests, and in Borneo, they are reported to live in mangrove swamps.
- It has been found at relatively high altitudes in the Himalayas.
- In India, it is found in Sikkim, northern West Bengal, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Assam, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh.
- It is the State animal of Meghalaya.
Features of Clouded Leopard:
- It is a medium-sized cat, 60 to 110 cm long and weighing between 11 and 20 kg.
- It is named after the distinctive ‘clouds’ on its coat – ellipses partially edged in black, with the insides a darker colour than the background colour of the pelt.
- The base of the fur is a pale yellow to rich brown, making the darker cloud-like markings look even more distinctive.
- It has an exceptionally long tail for balancing, which can be as long as the body itself, thick with black ring markings.
- It has a stocky build and, proportionately, the longest canine teeth of any living feline.
- It has relatively short legs and broad paws, which make it excellent at climbing trees and creeping through thick forest.
- They are one of the only cats in the world that can climb down, hang upside down from, and hunt in trees.
- It is a solitary animal.
- Lifespan: 12 to 15 years
Conservation status: Both the species are classified as ‘Vulnerable’ under the IUCN Red List.

Q1: What are Clouded Leopards hunted for?

Clear cutting of forests for use as agricultural lands such as palm oil, is its primary threat, as the clouded leopard requires large tracts of forest for hunting. They are also widely hunted for their teeth, decorative pelt, and for bones for the traditional Asian medicinal trade.

Source: IM