Snow leopards have thick grey and yellow-tinged fur, with solid spots on their head, neck and lower limbs and rosettes over the rest of the body. Rosettes are large rings enclosing smaller spots. WWF relies on spot patterns to identify individual snow leopards when conducting camera trap research. Snow leopards also have very long, thick tails that they use for balancing on rocks and wrapping around their bodies for protection from the cold. Their short forelimbs and long hind limbs make them very agile, and they can jump as much as 50 feet in length. They also have large, furry paws that act as both snowshoes and padding on sharp rocks.
Leopard hung up in a tree by another leopard
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There are an estimated 4,080-6,590 snow leopards in the wild, but it is difficult for scientists to know for sure. They are listed as 'Vulnerable' by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Snow leopards have litters of one to five cubs, but litters are most commonly two to three. The cubs are blind at birth, but already have thick coats. Their eyes open about seven days after they are born, and they are dependent on their mother for at least the next year.
Unlike other large cats, snow leopards cannot roar. They can mew, growl, yowl and prusten. Prusten, also referred to as chuffing, is a non-threatening vocalization made by blowing through their nose while their mouth is closed.
Overhunting of prey species, habitat loss, retaliatory killings as a result of human-wildlife conflict, poaching and climate change are the biggest threats that snow leopards face. Snow leopard habitat range continues to decline from human settlement and increased use of grazing space. Climate change poses perhaps the greatest long-term threat to snow leopards. Impacts from climate change could result in a loss of up to 30% of the snow leopard habitat in the Himalayas alone.
On a recent spring afternoon in South Africa's Sabi Sand Game Reserve, a female leopard kills a spiral-horned nyala. The big cat and her juvenile cub settle in for a meal, but they are soon interrupted by an unlikely pair.
More than a football field away, a young male leopard has just been chased off another kill by a larger leopard. The rejected juvenile becomes aware of the female eating and makes his way over to her. He chases away the mother leopard and her cub, but before he can sneak the carcass up a tree to enjoy it in solitude, another uninvited guest drops by: an opportunistic hyena.
Clouded leopards dwell in the cloud forests of Southeast Asia and are one of the most ancient cat species. However, they are neither a true great cat nor a true small cat, because they cannot roar or purr. Poaching and habitat loss threaten this vulnerable species.
Due to its forest habitat, clouded leopards have large, dexterous paws with specialized footpads for gripping branches. Specialized anklebones allow varied position for climbing, including climbing headfirst down trees. Another distinctive feature of the clouded leopard is its long canine teeth. These canines are longer in proportion to skull size than those of any other species of wild cat.
While more closely related to big cats, the clouded leopard is frequently described as bridging the gap between big and small cats due largely to its smaller stature. It has proportionately short legs and a long tail. The coat is brown or yellowish-gray and covered with irregular dark stripes, spots and blotches. Black and pale, whitish individuals have been reported from Borneo indicating the species may exhibit dark and albino forms.
The clouded leopard is found from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Assam (eastern India) through Indochina to Sumatra and Borneo, and northeastward to southern China and formerly Taiwan. Although population numbers are thought to be lower outside protected areas, their populations are probably healthiest in Borneo because of the absence of tigers and leopards. Clouded leopards prefer to live in lowland tropical rainforests. However, they can also be found in dry woodlands and secondary forests, and in Borneo, they are reported to live in mangrove swamps. They have even been spotted in the foothills of the Himalayas at an elevation of 9,000 feet (2,743 meters).
Due to a different bone structure in their neck, the clouded leopard cannot roar like the larger cats, but also cannot purr because it lacks the fully ossified hyoid bone that allows small cats this ability. Vocalizations include growling, hissing and chuffing.
Like all wild cats, clouded leopards are carnivores. Their chief prey are gibbons, macaques, slow loris, small deer and wild boars, which they ambush from the trees or stalk from the ground. They may also hunt birds and rodents. Scientists once thought that clouded leopards mainly hunted from or in trees; current thought, however, is that while some hunting may occur in the trees, the majority most likely takes place on the ground. Although a relatively small predator, a clouded leopard can take down sizeable prey because of its strong legs, large canines and extreme gape (ability to open mouth to about 100 degrees).
Clouded leopards are sexually mature around 2 years old. Mating can occur in any month, but in human care, most breeding occurs between December and March. The gestation period is between 85 and 93 days with one to five cubs (usually two or three) produced per litter. Cubs' eyes open at 10 to 14 days. Teeth appear around three weeks. At 5 weeks, cubs leave the nest, and they are weaned at 90 to 100 days. Cubs are independent after 1.5 to 2 years. Females can produce a litter every year.
Like many cats, clouded leopards have various reproductive challenges. Most cat species are considered induced ovulators, meaning that the act of copulation induces the cat to ovulate. It is almost impossible to determine if this is true for clouded leopards due to their ability to spontaneously ovulate as well. Spontaneous ovulation is truly spontaneous and therefore can be unpredictable. About 50 percent of clouded leopards studied have been known to exhibit spontaneous ovulation, but not after every estrus cycle, so they are considered intermittent spontaneous ovulators. Due to this unpredictability, artificial insemination has been largely unsuccessful (only one successful insemination) up to this point. Scientists are working to suppress the clouded leopards' estrus cycle in order to induce ovulation at specified times which would potentially make artificial insemination more successful. In addition to the females' reproductive challenges, 70 percent of male clouded leopards have malformed sperm. Clouded leopards can exhibit pseudo-pregnancy.
Reproductive challenges aside, the biggest challenge in clouded leopard management in human care is mate compatibility. There is a high incidence of aggression between males and females, sometimes resulting in the death of the female. This fact has made clouded leopards one of the most difficult cats to breed in zoos and conservation centers. Unlike other large cats, pair formation in clouded leopards is most successful when the male is less than 12 months of age. Once paired, most clouded leopards in human care remain with the same mate for life. Formation of adult pairs, at least in human care, often results in injury or death of the female by the male; however, adult females can be paired successfully with immature males. Therefore, present management practices include introducing the members of a pair before 1 year of age, or a subadult male to a mature female. This practice has resulted in the establishment of more successful pair-bonds and lessening of aggression; however, it also limits the genetic variability. Additionally, present management practices also include hand-rearing all cubs due to low breeding numbers and high infant mortality.
Clouded leopards are a vulnerable species. Although officially protected in most range countries, enforcement in many areas is weak. It is estimated that fewer than 10,000 mature individuals remain in the wild and no single population including more than 1,000 animals. Camera traps are helping scientists better estimate population numbers. The population in human care is around 70 and genetic diversity is presumed to be very low, with most individuals being related as closely as siblings and cousins.
Clouded leopards are victims of habitat destruction and illegal poaching. Their forest habitat is experiencing the world's fastest rate of deforestation. Clear cutting of forests for use as agricultural lands such as palm oil, is its primary threat, as the clouded leopard requires large tracts of forest for hunting. They are also widely hunted for their teeth, decorative pelt, and for bones for the traditional Asian medicinal trade.
Clouded leopard pelts are the most commonly seen pelts on the illegal market. In 2005, more than eighty clouded leopard pelts were for sale in one market in Myanmar (Burma). Restaurants in Thailand and China that cater to wealthy Asian tourists also feature clouded leopard meat on their menus.
Fewer than 10 clouded leopards in the wild have been radio-collared and studied; 90 percent of what is known about clouded leopards comes from research on captive populations. Much of the research involves collaborations between the Smithsonian's National Zoo, Khao Kheow Open Zoo in Thailand, The Zoological Parks Organization of Thailand and Nashville Zoo.
Biologists traditionally divided clouded leopards into four regional subspecies. In late 2006, a team of scientists including Smithsonian's National Zoo theriogenologist JoGayle Howard, found genetic evidence of two distinct species of clouded leopards. It is estimated that the two forms diverged about 1.4 million years ago. The new Sumatra/Borneo species has the common name of Sundaland Clouded Leopard and its scientific name is Neofelis diardi.
Under the cover of night, two large leopard slugs begin to court, circling each other, before climbing single-file up a tree or onto a rock. They lower themselves on a mucus rope, while entwining their bodies in a strictly anti-clockwise fashion. 2ff7e9595c
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