10 Facts About the Clouded Leopard

Clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)

1. Clouded leopard is more at home on trees than on the ground.

2. It has short legs and broad paws that help in climbing trees.

3. It has a tail almost equal to the body length. The long tail helps the leopard in balancing on long branches and jump from tree to tree.

4. It has the longest canine teeth of any living feline.

5. Clouded leopard teeth and jaws are remarkably similar to the primitive members of the extinct group of saber-toothed cats.

6. It can climb while hanging upside-down under branches and descend tree trunks head-first.

7. It is an excellent swimmer.

8. The forests where it lives are vanishing at the rate of 10 percent per year since 1987.

9. It is hunted for its teeth, decorative fur and bones.

10. The wild cat remains elusive and is difficult to spot in the wild. Its image was recently captured though through camera traps in India’s Buxa tiger reserve after a decade.

PROTECTION STATUS

IUCN Red List: VULNERABLE

CITES:APPENDIX I

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Image via cc/Flickr via Spencer Wright,Charles Barilleaux1, Charles Barilleaux2, Charles Barilleaux3

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Atula Gupta is the Founder and Editor of indiasendangered.com. Her work has appeared in a number of international websites, dailies and magazines including The Wire, Deccan Herald, New Indian Express, Down to Earth and Heritage India on issues related to environment and its conservation. She is also the author of Environment Science Essentials, a set of books for school children. She hopes this website provides a platform for people to be aware about species in the verge of extinction and heighten their conservation efforts.
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7 thoughts on “10 Facts About the Clouded Leopard

  1. Time for all to visit Meghalaya. This is one unique state where Flaura and Fauna flourishes. The Environment is more or less intact. The region is peppered with Sacred Groves. This beautiful elusive cat can be found there along with the Hoolock Gibbon.

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