---
title: "What the sources say about the Clouded Leopard | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "41 claims from the Clouded Leopard profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the Clouded Leopard (*Neofelis nebulosa*)

> 41 claims from the Clouded Leopard profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Clouded Leopard](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/clouded-leopard/)

## Gray et al. (2021). Neofelis nebulosa. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2021: e.T14519A198843258.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2021-2.rlts.t14519a198843258.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| The IUCN lists it as Vulnerable. | IUCN Red List category: Vulnerable (VU). |

## Christiansen (2006). Sabertooth characters in the clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa Griffiths 1821). Journal of Morphology.

https://doi.org/10.1002/jmor.10468

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A skull study found features once thought to belong only to sabertooth cats | I report on a number of unusual features in the clouded leopard skull hitherto considered characteristic of sabertooth felids exclusively |
| which the author mostly ties to a large gape | mainly as adaptations for attaining a large gape |

## Can et al. (2019). Factors affecting the occurrence and activity of clouded leopards, common leopards and leopard cats in the Himalayas. Biodiversity and Conservation.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-019-01912-7

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| found the cats mostly active at dusk and at night | Clouded leopards were least active in the middle of the day, and largely crepuscular and nocturnal |
| Camera traps in Nepal recorded one at 3,498 meters above sea level | We documented the presence of clouded leopards for the first time at an altitude as high as 3498 m a.s.l. |
| Before that study, nobody had hard evidence of one above 2,300 meters. | Before this study, there was no hard evidence that clouded leopards occurred above 2300 m a.s.l. |

## Kitchener, Beaumont & Richardson (2006). Geographical Variation in the Clouded Leopard, Neofelis nebulosa, Reveals Two Species. Current Biology.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2006.10.066

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A study of the coats of 57 clouded leopards found two groups | We describe here the results of a morphometric analysis of the pelages of 57 clouded leopards sampled throughout the species' range. We conclude that there are two distinct morphological groups |
| A study of coat patterns split the mainland cats from the ones on Borneo and Sumatra, which are now called Neofelis diardi. The two groups differ mainly in the size of their cloud markings. | there are two distinct morphological groups, which differ primarily in the size of their cloud markings ... we give diagnoses for the distinction of two species, one in mainland Asia (N. nebulosa) and the other in Indonesia (N. diardi) |

## Neofelis nebulosa (clouded leopard). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Neofelis_nebulosa/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Forests south of the Himalayas and across mainland Southeast Asia and southern China | are found south of the Himalayas in Nepal, Bhutan, and some areas of northeastern India. Myanmar, southern China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and mainland Malaysia make up the southern parts of its geographic range. |
| Adults usually weigh 18 to 22 kilograms | Adults usually weigh between 18 and 22 kilograms |
| measure 75 to 105 centimeters from head to rump | The head-body length is between 75 and 105 centimeters |
| with a tail of 79 to 90 centimeters | the tail length is between 79 and 90 centimeters |
| the island cats became the Sunda clouded leopard, Neofelis diardi | Until recently, Neofelis diardi was classified as a subspecies of Neofelis nebulosa, but researchers studying molecular evidence now consider it to be a separate species. Neofelis diardi inhabits the islands of Borneo and Sumatra. |
| This cat lives south of the Himalayas in Nepal, Bhutan and parts of northeastern India, and southward through Myanmar, southern China, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and mainland Malaysia. | are found south of the Himalayas in Nepal, Bhutan, and some areas of northeastern India. Myanmar, southern China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, and mainland Malaysia make up the southern parts of its geographic range. |
| A typical adult stands 50 to 60 centimeters at the shoulder and weighs 18 to 22 kilograms. The body runs 75 to 105 centimeters, and the tail adds nearly as much again | Adults usually weigh between 18 and 22 kilograms and stand at 50 to 60 centimeters at the shoulder. The head-body length is between 75 and 105 centimeters, and the tail length is between 79 and 90 centimeters, which is nearly as long as the body itself. |
| weightKg: 20 | Adults usually weigh between 18 and 22 kilograms (note: task #1114: the middle of ADW's usual range, Medium throughout, where the name guess gave Light. The Smithsonian's female range contradicts itself and predates the 2006 split, so ADW stands. Not in a curated matchup) |

## Clouded Leopard. San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.

https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/animals/clouded-leopard

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| ankles that rotate so it can hang from the branches by its back feet | its ankles can rotate backward so the cat can climb down a tree headfirst, climb upside down, and even hang from its back feet |
| Rotating ankles let it climb down a tree headfirst and hang from its back feet | its ankles can rotate backward so the cat can climb down a tree headfirst, climb upside down, and even hang from its back feet |
| its ankles can rotate backward, so it can also climb upside down and hang from its back feet | its ankles can rotate backward so the cat can climb down a tree headfirst, climb upside down, and even hang from its back feet |
| That leaves its powerful front paws free to snatch at prey. | leaving the powerful front paws free to snatch at prey |
| Its tail is the longest for body size of any cat | the longest, in relation to body size, of any cat's tail, which gives the clouded leopard great balance when strolling along tree branches |
| it works as a balance pole on branches | which gives the clouded leopard great balance when strolling along tree branches |
| Until 2006 the cats on Borneo and Sumatra counted as the same species. | Clouded leopards living on the Indonesian islands of Borneo and Sumatra were re-classified as a separate clouded leopard species in 2006 |
| Its main threat is habitat loss from a growing number of farms. | the clouded leopards’ main threat to survival is continued habitat loss from a growing number of farms |
| Yes. Its ankles turn backward, which lets it go down a trunk headfirst, clamber upside down or dangle by its hind feet with both front paws free to grab prey. | its ankles can rotate backward so the cat can climb down a tree headfirst, climb upside down, and even hang from its back feet, leaving the powerful front paws free to snatch at prey |
| Its ankles rotate backward, so it climbs down a trunk headfirst and can hang from its back feet with a gape of about 100 degrees waiting below. | its ankles can rotate backward so the cat can climb down a tree headfirst, climb upside down, and even hang from its back feet (note: vibe.reason; same source as the body claim) |

## Clouded leopard. Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute.

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/clouded-leopard

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Longer fangs for its skull size than any other wild cat | These canines are longer in proportion to skull size than those of any other species of wild cat. |
| Gibbons, macaques, slow lorises, small deer and wild boars; may also take birds and rodents | Their chief prey are gibbons, macaques, slow loris, small deer and wild boars, which they ambush from the trees or stalk from the ground. They may also hunt birds and rodents. |
| The clouded leopard can climb down a tree headfirst. | Specialized anklebones allow varied position for climbing, including climbing headfirst down trees. |
| Its anklebones are specialised for climbing | Specialized anklebones allow varied position for climbing |
| Its canine teeth are longer in proportion to skull size than those of any other wild cat | These canines are longer in proportion to skull size than those of any other species of wild cat. |
| it can open its mouth to about 100 degrees | extreme gape (ability to open mouth to about 100 degrees) |
| Despite the name, it is not a kind of leopard. It is a separate species of wild cat. | Clouded leopards are not a "type" of leopard as their name implies. They are a separate species of wild cat |
| The average life span is 12 to 15 years, and up to 17 in human care. | The average life span of the clouded leopard is 12 to 15 years, though they may live up to 17 years in human care. |
| It prefers lowland tropical rainforest but also turns up in dry woodlands | Clouded leopards prefer to live in lowland tropical rainforests. However, they can also be found in dry woodlands and secondary forests |
| Its chief prey are gibbons, macaques, slow lorises, small deer and wild boars. | Their chief prey are gibbons, macaques, slow loris, small deer and wild boars |
| Scientists once thought it hunted mainly in trees. Current thought is that most hunting takes place on the ground. | Scientists once thought that clouded leopards mainly hunted from or in trees; current thought, however, is that while some hunting may occur in the trees, the majority most likely takes place on the ground. |
| In human care it is one of the most difficult cats to breed, because of aggression between males and females. | There is a high incidence of aggression between males and females, sometimes resulting in the death of the female. This fact has made clouded leopards one of the most difficult cats to breed in zoos and conservation centers. |
| Its ankles rotate backward, so it climbs down a trunk headfirst and can hang from its back feet with a gape of about 100 degrees waiting below. | extreme gape (ability to open mouth to about 100 degrees) (note: vibe.reason, second part) |
| dangerLevel: Medium | These canines are longer in proportion to skull size than those of any other species of wild cat. (note: task #1114: Medium is real weapons and little interest in using them on people: no cached source records harm to a person) |
| tags: stealth-hunter | which they ambush from the trees or stalk from the ground (note: task #1114: kept on the definition's stalking motions) |