Neofelis nebulosa

The clouded leopard has short and strong limbs, and a very thick tail that is almost as long as the body. The head is slightly round, the muzzle is prominent, and the claws are very large. The body color is golden yellow, and it is covered with large patches of dark cloud-like spots, so it is called "clouded leopard". The edges of the spots are almost black, and the center is dark yellow, like a turtle back ornament, so it is also called "turtle leopard". The dark cloud patterns and spots constitute the natural camouflage of the clouded leopard. When it curls up quietly on the branches, it is difficult for people passing by the tree or birds flying in the sky to find it.
The muzzle, the area around the eyes, and the chest and abdomen of the clouded leopard are white. The tip of the nose is pink, sometimes with black spots. Black spots cover the head and face, two tear grooves pass through the cheeks, and two narrow black lines run through the tear grooves. The pu

Clouded leopards are found in Nepal, Bhutan, Assam, India, Indochina, and the Malay Peninsula.
In China, they are mainly distributed in subtropical and tropical forests, limited to the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi, Luoyang in Henan, and southern Gansu in the north, and to Chayu in Tibet in the west, Hainan Province in the south, and Zhejiang Province and Taiwan Province in the east. These include South China (Wuyi Mountain and other places) and the eastern side of the Himalayas. China is a secondary distribution area.
Clouded leopards live in subtropical and tropical mountain and hilly evergreen forests, most often in evergreen tropical virgin forests, but can also be seen in other habitats, such as secondary forests, mangrove swamps, grasslands, shrubs, and coastal broad-leaved forests. The vertical height can reach 1,600-3,000 meters above sea level, and the ambient temperature is about 18-50 degrees Celsius. Clouded leopards have been seen in areas at an altitude of 3,000 mete

The clouded leopard is called Clouded Leopard in English, and there are 3 subspecies. Because the length of its 4 canine teeth can reach 4-7 cm, which is very similar to the terrifying fangs of the extinct saber-toothed tiger subfamily, it is called the "small saber-toothed tiger". If the ratio of canine teeth to skull of existing cats is calculated, the clouded leopard is the largest. Moreover, the clouded leopard's mouth can open to a degree that is superior to other "cats". Most cats can only open their jaws to 65-70 degrees, while the clouded leopard can open to as much as 100 degrees. With those 4 long canine teeth, it is not an exaggeration to describe it as a bloody mouth, right? With long teeth and a large opening angle, the bite force will naturally not be small. According to research and simulation calculations, the bite force of clouded leopards can reach 360 pounds, far exceeding that of cheetahs and snow leopards.

Clouded leopards are highly arboreal animals, with long tails and stubby legs. They are very good at climbing trees and have been observed acrobatically climbing down tree trunks headfirst, walking upside down on horizontal branches, and standing on branches using only their hind feet. Clouded leopards are able to hunt in trees, taking birds, monkeys and rodents, although they spend more time sleeping in trees than hunting. Clouded leopards have been found in tropical rainforests of Asia using trees as shelter from terrestrial leeches. They track prey both in trees and on the ground, and with their dark "social stripes" camouflage, they often stalk and then quickly kill their prey. They Due to their seclusion and frequent nocturnal activities, it is difficult for humans to encounter them in the wild. Therefore, for many years, scientists have lacked relevant research on the life history and specimens of clouded leopards. Their behavioral speculation is based on observations of artificially raised clouded leopards, so clouded leopards are the least well-known cats and are rarely seen. Clouded leopards have been seen active during the day in both the wild and in captivity, so clouded leopards may not be fully nocturnal. Their daily activity patterns may vary depending on the activities of prey in different regions and the activities of humans in specific areas. It is speculated that clouded leopards may be solitary animals that only gather together during the breeding season.

Before the destruction of forest vegetation in Guizhou, clouded leopards were widely distributed in the forest environment of most parts of Guizhou. After the 1990s, due to the reduction of habitat, the number of clouded leopards dropped sharply, but Guizhou still received about 100 clouded leopard skins every year. There are few reports of in-depth population surveys of clouded leopards. Since the 1960s, there have been only some sightings by hunters in Taiwan, but those reports have not been confirmed; the number of clouded leopards on Hainan Island is very rare and faces the threat of extinction; the number of clouded leopards in Jiangxi was relatively large in the 1960s and 1970s, with an annual capture of more than 100; in 1984, a survey was conducted in eight counties in southern Anhui, including Ningguo, Jingxian, Shexian and Jingde. In 1983, a total of 19 clouded leopard skins were collected, and very few were collected in other counties. According to a survey in March 1995, clouded leopards still frequently appeared in the forest area of Ningguo County, but no one publicly hunted, sold or purchased clouded leopard skins. The provinces with a large number of clouded leopards are Jiangxi, Fujian, Hunan, Hubei and Guizhou. The production of clouded leopard skins in the 1970s was about 100, followed by Sichuan, Zhejiang and Guangdong, with dozens of skins each year. The number of clouded leopards did not change much in the 1970s compared with the 1960s, but began to decline in the 1970s and 1980s. The number rebounded slightly around 1998. It is estimated that China has only a few thousand clouded leopards. The clouded leopards distributed at the edge of the distribution area, Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi and Henan, are on the verge of extinction.

In 2012, the total number of clouded leopards in Guizhou was estimated to be around 85 by using the environmental assessment method. The results of the interview survey were similar to those obtained by the environmental assessment method (74-100 individuals in the interview survey), and the maximum population did not exceed 25.

Due to their special habits, clouded leopards are little known to the public, so there is no reliable estimate of their number. The World Conservation Union estimates that the total number is less than 10,000, and warns that the number is declining. It is generally believed that large-scale deforestation, habitat loss and the production of traditional Chinese medicine are the main reasons for the decline in clouded leopard numbers; some poachers kill leopards indiscriminately in pursuit of leopard bones and gorgeous and precious fur. In the mid-1980s, clouded leopard skins were often seen in fur shops in some large cities; hunting is extremely common in forest areas, and the food that clouded leopards rely on for survival has decreased accordingly, which also affects the growth of clouded leopard populations; the expansion of agricultural land has reduced the habitat of clouded leopards, This has further led to an increase in the frequency of clouded leopards attacking poultry and livestock on farmland. Villagers have used poison to kill predators including clouded leopards for prevention; illegal international trade and smuggling, black market transactions, and pet demand; the use of clouded leopard skins in religious ceremonies; former Taiwanese aborigines hunted clouded leopards as a symbol of tribal heroes; men in some Asian countries believe that owning a clouded leopard skin is a symbol of status; medical applications and consumption in high-end restaurants have all led to a decline in the number of clouded leopard populations; although there are measures to ban the hunting of clouded leopards, it still cannot reduce the market demand for clouded leopards in Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Cambodia, Nepal, Thailand and other places.

In 1980, there were 29 zoos in China that kept clouded leopards, but most zoos only had 1 or 2, and there were no more than 50 in the country. Zoos rarely reproduced, and only a few zoos such as Nanchang Zoo in Jiangxi Province have a record of successful reproduction. In 2007, Nanchang Zoo kept 6 clouded leopards.

China has established nature reserves where a small number of clouded leopards live: Badagongshan Nature Reserve in Sangzhi, Hunan, and South China Tiger Reserve in Yihuang, Jiangxi. There are clouded leopard reserves in Guangxi: Jiuwanshan Water Source Forest Reserve, Buliuhe Water Source Forest Reserve, Huashuichong Water Source Forest Reserve, Yindianshan Water Source Forest Reserve, and Xialei Water Source Forest Reserve. Most countries and regions where clouded leopards are active have enacted legal protection measures. Hunting of clouded leopards is strictly prohibited in Bangladesh, Brunei, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam, and is regulated in Laos. The World Conservation Union lists clouded leopards as vulnerable species, and clouded leopards are also listed in the US Endangered Species Act, which prohibits any trade in this species in the United States. National parks have been established in Nepal, Malaysia, and Indonesia to maintain clouded leopard populations.

Listed in China's "National Key Protected Wild Medicinal Materials" (1987): Level 1.

Listed in China's "National Key Protected Wildlife" (1988): Level 1.

Listed in the "China Red List of Endangered Animals" (1996), assessment level - endangered species.

Listed in the "China Red List of Species" (2004), assessment level - endangered species (EN A1cd).

Listed in Appendix I, Appendix II and Appendix III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) 2019 Edition.

Listed in the 2020 ver 3.1 of the World Conservation Union Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN) - Vulnerable Species (VU).

Listed in the first level of China's National Key Protected Wildlife List (February 5, 2021).

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