Wildlife
Clouded leopards are very similar to the extinct sabre-toothed cats. In proportion to their body size, they have the longest canines of any cat. They are top forest predators capable of performing some amazing feats amongst the trees. Skills include running head-first down tree trunks, climbing around on the underside of branches and hanging upside down by their hind legs. Clouded leopards are widely - but very thinly - spread throughout southeast Asia.
Scientific name: Neofelis nebulosa
Rank: Species
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Flamboyant felines
Dagger-like teeth and turbo-charged vision turns clouded leopards into fearsome night predators.
Dagger-like teeth and turbo-charged vision turns clouded leopards into fearsome night predators.
Canopy carnivore
Clouded leopards are awesome predators owing to their mastery of the treetops.
Clouded leopards are awesome predators owing to their mastery of the treetops.
Clouded in mystery
A rare clouded leopard is photographed by a camera trap near the research camp.
A rare clouded leopard is photographed by a camera trap near the research camp.
The Clouded leopard can be found in a number of locations including: Asia, China, Himalayas, Indian subcontinent. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
The following habitats are found across the Clouded leopard distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Vulnerable
Population trend: Decreasing
Year assessed: 2008
Classified by: IUCN 3.1
The clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) is a felid found from the Himalayan foothills through mainland Southeast Asia into China, and has been classified as vulnerable in 2008 by IUCN. Its total population size is suspected to be fewer than 10,000 mature individuals, with a decreasing population trend, and no single population numbering more than 1,000 adults.
The Malaysian common name for the clouded leopard means branch-of-a-tree tiger. The clouded leopard is the smallest of the world's big cats, and it is believed to be a potential evolutionary link between the big cats and small cats. In spite of its name, it is not that closely related to the leopard.
The Sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi) found on Sumatra and Borneo is genetically distinct and has been considered a separate species since 2006.
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Mangroves
Mountains
Tropical coniferous forest
Tropical dry forest
Tropical grassland
Rainforest
Helpless young
Ambush predator
Camouflage
Carnivorous
Adapted to climbing
Tactile sense
Acoustic communication
Maternal care
Predator
Adapted to running
Chemical communication
Territorial
Visual communication
Viviparous