Clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)
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The clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), also called mainland clouded leopard, is a wild cat inhabiting dense forests from the foothills of the Himalayas through Northeast India and Bhutan to mainland Southeast Asia into South China.
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In a nutshell
- The clouded leopard is a wild cat that lives in the forests of Asia, from the Himalayas to Indonesia.
- It has a distinctive coat pattern with large blotches and spots that resemble clouds.
- It is the first cat that diverged from the common ancestor of the big cats, about 9 million years ago
- It is not closely related to either the true leopards or the true small cats, and it cannot roar or purr.
- It is one of the best climbers among the cats, and can hang upside down from branches and descend trees headfirst.
- It has the largest canine teeth relative to its body size of any cat, which help it hunt prey such as deer, pigs, monkeys, squirrels and birds.
- It is a vulnerable species, threatened by habitat loss and poaching for its fur and body parts.
- It is rarely seen in the wild, and little is known about its behavior and ecology.