Quick answer
Key facts about clouded leopard — size, diet, habitat, and conservation in one place.
Arboreal mastery
Clouded leopards have flexible ankles that rotate backward, allowing them to descend trees head-first and hang from branches. They hunt both on the ground and in the canopy, taking prey from muntjac deer to monkeys and birds.
Distinctive appearance
Large cloud-shaped blotches on a tawny or grey coat provide camouflage in dappled forest light. Their short legs and long tail aid balance in trees. Canine teeth are proportionally as long as those of big cats much larger in body size.
Range and subspecies
Neofelis nebulosa ranges from Nepal and northeastern India through Indochina to southern China. A separate species, the Sunda clouded leopard, occurs on Borneo and Sumatra. Forest loss and poaching for fur and bones threaten both.
Conservation
Listed Vulnerable, clouded leopards need large contiguous forest blocks. Camera-trap surveys suggest they are rarer and more patchily distributed than once thought. Protected areas and anti-poaching patrols are critical to their survival.