WildFact
›
Information Section
›
Terrestrial Wild Animals
›
Wild Cats
›
Leopard
Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)
Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)
|
Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa)
|
First record of a clouded leopard predating on a binturong
Given their elusive nature, arboreal behaviour and dense forest habitat, the clouded leopard is a challenging species to study (Nowell & Jackson 1996). During a camera trap study (Clements 2013) investigating forest and road underpass use by large mammals in the selectively logged forests of an important corridor known as Primary Link age 7 in the state of Terengganu, Peninsular Malaysia, an adult male clouded leopard was photographed carrying a binturong in its jaws (Fig. 1). To our knowledge this is the first evidence of a binturong being predated upon by a clouded leopard. The average body mass of an adult binturong is 15 kg (Grassman et al. 2005b), which falls within the weight range of recorded prey species that may be taken by cloudedleopards across their range (Grassman et al. 2005a, Nowell & Jackson 1996). Encounters between both species are possible due to their semi-arboreal nature and overlapping activity patterns (Austin et al. 2007, Sunquist & Sunquist 2002, Rohznov 1994). Our report goes some small way in addressing the knowledge gap regarding the diet of the clouded leopard. There is an urgent need to understand their ecology and conservation status, as forest cover in Peninsular Malaysia has been reduced by more than half its original extent (Miettinen et al. 2011) and forest reserves are increasingly being converted to rubber plantations (Aziz et al. 2010).  *This image is copyright of its original author
Is the biggest prey that Cloudy (23 kg) can kill is just Hog deer species (upto 50 kg) and Orangutan (100 kg in wild whereas heaviest known male orangutan in captivity was an obese male named "Andy", who weighed 204 kg (450 lb) in 1959 when he was 13 years old) or anything else more and bigger?
@GuateGojira
Lack of forest connectivity threatens Sabah's Sunda clouded leopards
Sunday, 27 Jan 2019 3:55 PM MYT by stephanie lee image: https://www.thestar.com.my/~/media/onlin...A81B5DEBE2  *This image is copyright of its original author KOTA KINABALU: Studies say a lack of forest connectivity in Sabah threatens the Sunda clouded leopard population. According to studies conducted by researchers from Oxford University’s WildCRU and Cardiff University (UK), US Forest Service (USA), Sabah Wildlife Department and Danau Girang Field Centre (Sabah), patchy forests are also hampering gene flow in the species. Dr Andrew Hearn from WildCRU, who led the study, said Sabah was a stronghold for the Sunda clouded leopard on Borneo. “Yet these rarely seen animals are found at very low population densities, typically as few as one to five animals for every 100 square kilometres of forest,” he said in a statement Sunday (Jan 27). Such rarity, he said, coupled with the fact that their forest home was shrinking and becoming increasingly isolated, may expose these beautiful cats to the negative effects of population isolation, as individual animals struggle to disperse across the landscape. Dr Hearn said from their research, they found that core areas of Sunda clouded leopard habitat are comprised of large and unfragmented forest blocks, and areas of reduced forest cover comprise barriers among patches of predicted remaining habitats. The research was conducted using movement data from clouded leopards satellite-collared in Kinabatangan to produce predictions of their population density, genetic diversity and population connectivity across Sabah. Danau Girang Field Centre director Dr Benoit Goossens, who is also Reader at Cardiff University, explained that their research, despite being based on computer simulations, used accurate data collected during several years of field research on the Sunda clouded leopard in Sabah. “We mapped patterns of population connectivity for the species across Sabah and conclude that several forest patches in Sabah may be isolated from one another for the Sunda clouded leopard, jeopardising dispersal of individuals and limiting gene flow,” he said. “We also identified the Lower Kinabatangan Wildlife Sanctuary, Tabin Wildlife Reserve and Tawau Hills Park as patches of habitat predicted to have extant clouded leopard populations that are isolated from other populations,” he said. Dr Goossens said conservation efforts should be made to explore mechanisms to increase connectivity between these areas and the main central forest. He said efforts can include establishment of riparian corridors, and identification or creation of High Conservation Value forest areas within plantation landscapes. He said these recommendations were included in the Sunda Clouded Leopard Action Plan for Sabah that was soft-launched by Tourism, Culture and Environment Datuk Christina Liew recently. “We hope it will be tabled at the next State Cabinet meeting after Chinese New Year,” Dr Goossens said. This research is supported by Yayasan Sime Darby, Robertson Foundation, Recanati-Kaplan Foundation, Clouded Leopard Project, Dr Holly Reed Wildlife Conservation Fund, Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, Houston Zoo and Panthera. Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2...p8IDcxl.99  (01-26-2019, 09:39 PM)Sanju Wrote: Is the biggest prey that Cloudy (23 kg) can kill is just Hog deer species (upto 50 kg) and Orangutan (100 kg in wild whereas heaviest known male orangutan in captivity was an obese male named "Andy", who weighed 204 kg (450 lb) in 1959 when he was 13 years old) or anything else more and bigger? To be honest, I don't have investigated the feeding habits of the Clouded Leopard. Sunquist & Sunquist (2002) do not present a table regarding the feeding habits, but did mention that orangutans are included in the diet of this cat. However it will be interesting to investigate if the specimens killed were adults, of what sex and if are only young specimens. Clouded leopard are at the brink of the 20 kg fronteir that says that predators over that weight start hunting animals of its own size or above, so taking in count this and the fact that this cat is well armed, we can suggest that clouded leopards can and probably do kill prey larger than themselves. Definitelly this is a good point to investigate and this topic is perfect for that. 
Taken from the book Wild Cats of the World (Mel Sunquist and Fiona Sunquist)
 *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
‘Extinct’ Taiwanese Leopard Spotted for the First Time Since Disappearing in 1983
 *This image is copyright of its original author Our world has become a very rough neighborhood in recent years, with scientists and conservationists saying that the Earth is currently undergoing the sixth mass extinction of plants and animals and species going extinct at up to 1,000 to 10,000 times the natural rate. However, on rare occasions, we’re reminded that perhaps it’s not too late for everyone—perhaps the reports of an animal species’ demise were premature, even if that species remains in grave danger. Such is the case in Taiwan, where a rare species of large cat, the Formosan clouded leopard, has been spotted in the wilderness by a number of people across the archipelago’s southeast, according to Taiwan News. The significance of the find is striking for locals, who held tribal meetings in Alangyi Village to determine how best to move forward.  *This image is copyright of its original author This photo of a Taiwanese member of the indigenous community wearing what is thought to be a Formosan clouded leopard pelt was taken by Japanese anthropologist Torii Ryūzō circa 1900. University of Tokyo/Creative Commons Tribal members of the village hope to halt hunting in the area by outsiders, while village elders are lobbying Taiwanese authorities to end logging and other activities that harm the land. The Formosan is known to be quite agile and vigilant, eluding human attempts to trap or otherwise capture it. National Taitung University’s Department of Life Science professor Liu Chiung-hsi told Focus Taiwan News Channel: Quote:“I believe this animal still does exist.”Professor Liu also noted that in past investigations of the leopard’s whereabouts, he encountered hunters from the indigenous Bunun people who admitted capturing the animal on several occasions in the late 1990s. However, they burned the bodies for fear of violating Taiwan’s Wildlife Conservation Act. From 2001 to 2013, a team of Taiwanese and U.S. zoologists surveyed the region but failed to sight the animal once, prompting the declaration that the Formosan clouded leopard had officially gone extinct. Historical records of the rare cat date back to around the 13th century, when indigenous people brought the leopard’s pelts to trade at the busy markets of port cities like Tainan. It is believed that Japanese anthropologist Torii Ryūzō, in 1900, was the only non-indigenous person to have actually seen a live Formosan clouded leopard. 
I was recently watching a documentary where a guy tried to find the formosan clouded leopard based on witness accounts as mentioned above. In the end he found nothing which led him to believe it still exists, and it's likely the locals saw leopard cats rather than clouded leopards.
 *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 https://www.researchgate.net/publication...s_nebulosa (04-27-2019, 06:02 AM)Sully Wrote: I was recently watching a documentary where a guy tried to find the formosan clouded leopard based on witness accounts as mentioned above. In the end he found nothing which led him to believe it still exists, and it's likely the locals saw leopard cats rather than clouded leopards. Was that show called "Extinct or Alive" by any chance? (01-15-2018, 08:55 PM)Ngala Wrote: Sunda Clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi borneensis) from the Hose Mountains of Sarawak, Borneo, Indonesia. Credits to Conservation Science Partners. 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 Sumatran clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi diardi) at Riau Ecosystem Restoration; credit: Pt1979  *This image is copyright of its original author
|
| Users browsing this thread: |
| 3 Guest(s) |