The Clouded Leopard
The Clouded Leopard
COM/172: Elements of University Composition and Communication II
Date: June 24, 2012
The Clouded Leopard
The clouded leopards of Southeast Asia are a secretive and rare species of wild cats, and are members of the Pantherinae family (2007). These cats are closely related to other large cat species like the lion, tiger, jaguar, leopard, and snow leopard; although they are called clouded leopards, they are not directly related to other leopards. This species generally weighs about 28 pounds and is around 66 inches in length (including the tail that is about 30 inches in length). It gets its name from the particular patterns of its coat, which is considered very valuable. This particular species tends to live in dense tropical evergreen forests and lives a solitary lifestyle.
Clouded leopards are a carnivores, meaning that their diet consist of meat from other animals. These cats are known to hunt a variety of different animals, including birds, squirrels, monkeys, deer, and wild pigs. Scientists once believed that clouded leopards primarily hunted while climbing trees in the jungle, but have now realized that while some hunting may occur in trees, the majority of their hunting takes place on the forest floor. The trees in the clouded leopard’s habit mainly provide shelter or resting places for the cats during daylight hours. Scientist once thought that these cats were exclusively nocturnal; however, during recent years these scientists have discovered evidence that the clouded leopard is active both during the day and during the night as well.
The clouded leopard has the longest canine teeth of any other species of large cats. The teeth of a mature clouded leopard are around two inches in length (five centimeters). These cat’s canine teeth are the same length as a tigers canines, even though tigers are 10 times the size of the average clouded leopard. The tooth development of a clouded leopard is most similar to that of the extinct
COM/172: Elements of University Composition and Communication II
Date: June 24, 2012
The Clouded Leopard
The clouded leopards of Southeast Asia are a secretive and rare species of wild cats, and are members of the Pantherinae family (2007). These cats are closely related to other large cat species like the lion, tiger, jaguar, leopard, and snow leopard; although they are called clouded leopards, they are not directly related to other leopards. This species generally weighs about 28 pounds and is around 66 inches in length (including the tail that is about 30 inches in length). It gets its name from the particular patterns of its coat, which is considered very valuable. This particular species tends to live in dense tropical evergreen forests and lives a solitary lifestyle.
Clouded leopards are a carnivores, meaning that their diet consist of meat from other animals. These cats are known to hunt a variety of different animals, including birds, squirrels, monkeys, deer, and wild pigs. Scientists once believed that clouded leopards primarily hunted while climbing trees in the jungle, but have now realized that while some hunting may occur in trees, the majority of their hunting takes place on the forest floor. The trees in the clouded leopard’s habit mainly provide shelter or resting places for the cats during daylight hours. Scientist once thought that these cats were exclusively nocturnal; however, during recent years these scientists have discovered evidence that the clouded leopard is active both during the day and during the night as well.
The clouded leopard has the longest canine teeth of any other species of large cats. The teeth of a mature clouded leopard are around two inches in length (five centimeters). These cat’s canine teeth are the same length as a tigers canines, even though tigers are 10 times the size of the average clouded leopard. The tooth development of a clouded leopard is most similar to that of the extinct
References: Point Defiance Chapter, American Association of Zoo Keepers (2000). Summary of Clouded Leopard SSP (2011). http://www.cloudedleopard.org (2011). Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (2012) www.nationalzoo.si.edu.