Biology

The Clouded Leopard, or Neofelis Nebulosa, is an extremely rare species of the cat family. This Latin name was given to it because ‘neo’ means ‘new’ and ‘felis’ means ‘small cat,’ so it is really a new kind of small cat. This 2-3 foot long feline is equipped with a 2-3 foot tail, weighs approximately 30-50 pounds, and owns a coat ranging in colour from tan to tawny spotted with dark-edged eclipses shaped like clouds. In the wild, this carnivore lives off of a diet of sambar and mutjac deer, birds, bearded pigs, civet, monkeys, gibbons, squirrels, porcupines, fish, domestic cattle, and chickens. Those in captivity consume eggs and some vegetation. The Clouded Leopard is a tree dweller with squirrel-like agility that has been known to assist it in when it uses hunting habits such as hanging from its hind legs from trees and running down the trunk head-first or dropping from treetops onto its prey. Their secretive nature and being generally solitary makes them hard to observe but they are thought to be active night and day and that their lifespan is about 17 years in captivity. Its main predator is humans.