Clouded leopards are located across Southeast Asia and the relatively high altitudes of the Himalayas in three types of climates. They can be found in the Southeast Asian countries of Southern China, Bhuta, …show more content…
Clouded leopards have small, but muscular bodies with short legs. The feline averages about two to three feet long with a muscular body and a tail stretching up to three feet. Clouded leopards can weigh up to fifty pounds and when standing on their hind legs are about the size of a six foot man. They have short, powerful legs and rotating rear ankles that allow them to climb down trees in a head first position. Clouded leopards have broad paws equipped with sharp claws that can be retracted into the skin. They have keen eyesight and large canine teeth used to help them hunt. Clouded leopards are patterned with large markings similar to clouds that are lined with black. The coat of a clouded leopard can be yellow, grey, or tawny colored. Clouded leopards also have two large black bars on the back of their necks and black rings that go down their three foot tails. The coloring of the clouded leopard helps it to blend in with its surroundings. The large, muscular paws and legs with sharp claws give the clouded leopard a good grip for climbing and hanging upside down. Also, their broad paws are perfect for climbing trees and stalking through thick forests. Their incredibly long tails help them balance while moving through the trees. To summarize, the clouded leopard is muscular and agile with a colorful coat …show more content…
Clouded leopards are nocturnal hunters that either come down from the trees to stalk their prey or wait in the branches and pounce on the prey as it passes below the trees. Clouded leopards maintain a diet of deer, cattle, young wild boars, birds, monkeys, porcupines, and young buffalo. Also, they eat livestock such as chickens and goats when the food in the jungle is scarce. Some clouded leopards have a different diet based on the region they inhabit. Leopards found in Thailand, for instance, tend to eat rodents because they are found in abundance there. Once a clouded leopard has finished its meal, it climbs back up into the trees to rest and let the meal settle and digest in its stomach. All-in-all, clouded leopards are night hunters that eat a variety of animals found by stalking on the ground or pouncing from the trees of forests and