Amazing Wild Animals: Clouded Leopard

The clouded leopard is the smallest of the big cats and one of the beautiful. They are not closely related to the leopard even though it shares it's name with it. The clouded leopard has a tan to brown coat with big spots that are brown with a dark ring around them. They have a long tail used for balance and they have one of the longest canine teeth (2 inches). They live in Southeast Asia and they live primarily in dense rain forests.

Clouded leopards are very secretive in the wild so we do not know much about their usual behavior. They are nocturnal and are great climbers, and will rest in the trees during the day. Not much is know about their hunting techniques, and only some species are confirmed prey of the clouded leopard. They are porcupine, deer, ground squirrel, pangolin, and monkeys.

Clouded leopards have a life span of about 11 years in captivity, their life span is not known in the wild due to their reclusive nature. Mother clouded leopards have about 3 kittens and they leave their mother when they are about 10 months old. They have a difficult time reproducing because the male is aggressive towards the female when they are mating. If the kittens are born the female is usually aggressive towards the kittens. In captivity zookeepers watch the clouded leopards very carefully to make sure everything goes alright.

Recently it was discovered that there are two species of clouded leopards, the clouded leopard and the sunda clouded leopard. They look alike but genetically they are very different. The sunda clouded leopard is rarer then the clouded leopard. They also live in different places, the clouded leopard lives on the mainland of Asia while the sunda clouded leopard is from Borneo and Sumatra.

Clouded Leopards are considered vulnerable and their numbers are decreasing. People are cutting down the rain forest that it lives in. Poachers hunt the clouded leopard for their coat and their canine teeth and bones, which are used in medicine.