Beautiful Clouded Leopard
by D Hackett
Title
Beautiful Clouded Leopard
Artist
D Hackett
Medium
Photograph - Digital
Description
Beautiful Clouded Leopard by D Hackett
Clouded leopards typically weigh about 28 pounds and are about 36 inches long (not including the tail, which is usually 30 inches long). Their fur ranges from pale yellow to brown with darker cloud-like markings. They have relatively short legs and large paws. Clouded leopards' long tails help them balance on narrow branches and jump safely from tree to tree.
This species of clouded leopard ranges from countries of the Himalayas, southern China, and Taiwan to peninsula Malaysia. In 2006, scientists determined that the clouded leopards living on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo are a distinct species, Neofelis diardi.
Rarely seen in the wild, there is some controversy as to whether the clouded leopard is an arboreal speciesstrongly tied to dense tropical evergreen forestor a terrestrial hunter that uses roads and trails in logged forests. The answer is probably somewhere in betweenthe clouded leopard can hunt both in trees and on the ground. These cats can also live in drier forests if there is suitable prey.
The clouded leopards diet includes birds, monkeys, pigs, cattle, goats, deer, and porcupines.
Litters of two to five young are born after a gestation of 86 to 93 days. Young suckle for five months, and males usually develop faster than females.
Clouded leopards are listed as vulnerable on the World Conservation Union's Red List of Threatened Animals. They are threatened by a high demand for their attractive pelts, which have ceremonial meaning in Taiwan. Due to the reclusive nature of the clouded leopard, it is difficult to assess how many remain in the wild, but they are highly endangered in some areas, and only relatively stable in others. Deforestation, habitat destruction, and poaching are major concerns for the future of the clouded leopard.
Uploaded
February 24th, 2015
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