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Leopard
Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)
Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)
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Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)
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There has been a new study on the weights of the Sunda Clouded Leopard (Neofelis Diardi) that gives a good insight into the real size of these cats. The study takes measurements of both captive and and wild individuals. All the captive Clouded Leopards in this study was once wild but has been put in captivity for different reasons not specified in the study.
A few things to note, all the captive speciments were fasted for 12-14 hours before they were tranqulized and measured. And the body condition of all Clouded Leopards in the study were assessed after the following criteria: 1/5 Cachexia, 2/5 Underweight, 3/5 Ideal weight, 4/5 Overweight, 5/5 Obese. (FR) are wild individuals and © are captive individuals. The results:  *This image is copyright of its original author I was very impressed by the weight of these individuals, especially these wild males weighing well over 20 kilos. And the smaller individuals all being underweight. It`s quite fascinating to see measurements of a species that we know very little about.
Here is a photo showing the size of these animals
 *This image is copyright of its original author (This is Leopard from the study)
Another Clouded Leopard from the study
 *This image is copyright of its original author
 *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author A few photos of Cakar the Male Clouded Leopard! (11-28-2019, 03:40 PM)Jubatus Wrote: This Male weighed 25 kilograms!
Even more photos of another male!
 *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
From the panthera twitter page:
Panthera’s CEO Dr. Frédéric Launay has been visiting with the people of Taiwan to discuss the possibility of bringing clouded leopards back to their mountains. Together, we are working to understand the feasibility of this ambitious conservation plan.  Clouded leopard new elevation record Clouded leopards, one of the most elusive cats, were found for the first time at an altitude of 3498 meters (11476 feet) above sea level in the Langtang National Park in Nepal. The study, led by Özgün Emre Can from the University of Oxford, confirmed the existence of this cat species in this high altitude. In the research study published by Can and his colleagues, the authors state: Quote:Before this study, there was no hard evidence that clouded leopards occurred above 2300 meters above sea level, having documented them at almost 4000 meters above sea level in the Himalayas, we emphasise the importance of this extreme portion of the species’ range where climate is likely to change more rapidly and with greater consequences, than the global average.Named after its cloud-like blotched pattern on the skin, the clouded leopard is found in the Nepali Himalayas in the west to southern China in the north and east, and Peninsular Malaysia in the south. It has been listed as a vulnerable species in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Estimates say there are around 100 clouded leopards in Nepal and they were believed to be extinct in the country until 1987. Apart from the Langtang National Park, there have been reported sightings in the Annapurna Conservation Area, Chitwan National Park, Kanchenjunga Conservation Area, Makalu-Barun, Rara and Shivapuri Nagarjun National Parks. Largely nocturnal, clouded leopards are great climbers which has earned them the moniker “tree tigers”. They have very long teeth compared to their heads, so some call them the modern-day sabre tooth cats. The National Park and Wildlife Conservation Act 1973 has given special protection to clouded leopard in Nepal. According to the Act, any person illegally killing or injuring, selling, purchasing or transferring or obtaining a clouded leopard shall be punished with a fine ranging from fifty to one hundred thousand rupees or imprisonment ranging from five years to fifteen years or both. But this has not stopped poachers – four clouded leopard pelts were found by Nepal Police in 2018 within a span of two months. Clouded leopards are poached for their beautiful pelts that are traded illegally while the habitat loss and degradation remain the prime concerns for their conservation. In addition, these leopards found at high altitudes face the threat of warming temperatures that are pushing other highland species towards higher elevations. In the Eastern Himalayan region, the annual mean temperatures are projected to increase research on average by 2.9 degrees Celsius by the middle of the century. According to researchers, even if global warming is limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, the high mountains are likely to warm even more. Read: Flora and Fauna Signal the Visible Effects of Climate Change in Nepal However, the study found that Langtang National Park has abundant prey species like red muntjac, wild boar, Himalayan serow, Himalayan goral, musk deer, Nepal grey langur, Assam macaque, and Malayan porcupine for both clouded and common leopards. Technologies like camera-trapping have been helping scientists study the dynamics and behaviour of this species. In addition, captive breeding and artificial insemination techniques are projected to further help save these leopards. The presence of the Nepali army and park administration working together to protect the park and curb illegal wildlife trade gives hope for the conservation of these leopards in the high altitude. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&url=https://globalvoices.org/2020/01/24/for-the-first-time-clouded-leopards-have-been-found-at-almost-12000-feet-in-nepals-himalayas-but-can-they-survive-climate-change/amp/&ved=0ahUKEwjbjeXym-LnAhVlyjgGHSQfBDQQyM8BCCgwAA&usg=AOvVaw3F30IvVVTBHTHROQOONA43&cf=1 (11-02-2019, 11:10 PM)BorneanTiger Wrote: Specifically the Bornean clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi borneensis), which is a different subspecies of the Sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi) to the nominate subspecies, the Batu-Sumatran clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi diardi), present in the islands of Batu and Sumatra: https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/hand...=y#page=65 That's a marbled cat. (03-24-2020, 07:56 AM)Shir Babr Wrote:(11-02-2019, 11:10 PM)BorneanTiger Wrote: Specifically the Bornean clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi borneensis), which is a different subspecies of the Sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi) to the nominate subspecies, the Batu-Sumatran clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi diardi), present in the islands of Batu and Sumatra: https://repository.si.edu/bitstream/hand...=y#page=65 Corrected, thanks, I shifted that photo to this thread.
Andrew C. Kitchener, Mark A. Beaumont, and Douglas Richardson: Geographical Variation in the Clouded Leopard, Neofelis nebulosa, Reveals Two Species, 5th of December 2006: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/ar...24912#bib8
"Groves [8], in the context of primate taxonomy, has strongly advocated the use of the PSC (phylogenetic species concept) for taxonomic studies of this kind. The PSC relies on recognition of species when populations are 100% diagnostically distinct with at least one characteristic and has been applied in a wide range of taxa (reviewed in [6]). On the basis of the cloud sizes on clouded-leopard pelages, all mainland (including the Taiwanese brachyura) clouded leopards are fully distinguishable from Indonesian animals, and hence, they should be recognized as distinct phylogenetic species (Figure 3). Therefore, we recommend the recognition of two species of clouded leopard as diagnosed below: Neofelis nebulosa (Griffith, 1821 [15]), including Felis macrosceloides (Hodgson, 1853 [16], in the Himalayan region comprising Sikkim, Nepal and Bhutan), Leopardus brachyurus, (Swinhoe, 1863 [17], the Formosan clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa brachyura) in Taiwan). Distribution: Mainland Asia, including the Nepal, Sikkim, Assam, Burma, China, Indochina and Malaya, and the island of Taiwan. Diagnosis: On shoulders, large cloud-like markings, which extend the full depth of the flank and slope back from the dorsal midline, with mostly few spots within the clouds; a partially double dorsal stripe; pale, often tawny ground coloration (Figure 3). Neofelis diardi (Cuvier, 1823 [18]). Distribution: Sumatra and Borneo, including the Batu Islands. Diagnosis: On shoulders, small irregular cloud-like markings, which form two or more rows that are arranged vertically from the dorsal midline on the flank, with frequent spots within clouds; ground coloration that is overall grayish yellow or gray hue; a double dorsal stripe (Figure 3)."  *This image is copyright of its original author
Cubs born at Miami Zoo, notice that they are taking precautions against COVID-19: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-52238591
Credit: Ron Magill, Zoo Miami  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author  *This image is copyright of its original author
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