Bornean Clouded Leopard (Neofelis diardi)

Bornean Clouded Leopard in lower Kinabatangan River, eastern Sabah, Malaysia Photograph by Canorus. Some rights reserved.

Description

The Bornean Clouded Leopard is a wild cat found on Borneo and Sumatra. It is a magnificent looking medium-sized cat with distinctive dark edged oval blotches which are supposed to resemble clouds. There are two dark stripes along the back.. It is a stocky cat with relatively short legs and large paws. The tail is extremely long and can be as long as the body. It was long considered the same species as the mainland Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), but was elevated to a species in its own right in 2006. The main differences between the two species are: the Bornean Clouded Leopard is darker with smaller cloud markings and distinct spots within the clouds; the mainland Clouded Leopard is pale brown with larger clouds with indistinct spots within the clouds.

Size

Head and body length 55cm - 110cm. Tail length: 75cm - 90cm. Weight: 25kg

Habitat

tropical and subtropical forest at altitudes to about 2,000m.

Food

The Bornean Clouded Leopard feeds on mammals such as monkeys. Also feeds on reptiles and birds. It hunts by stalking prey on the ground or ambushing in trees. It is an excellent climber as most of its prey lives in trees.

Breeding

The female Clouded Leopard gives birth to one to five kittens (average around 2) after a gestation period of 85 - 95 days.

Range

Borneo, Sumatra and the Batu Islands

Notes

The population is estimated to be between 5,000 and 11,000 on Borneo and 3,000 to 7,000 on Sumatra

Conservation Status

The conservation status in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals is "vulnerable".

Classification Class: Mammalia Order: Carnivora Family: Felidae Genus: Neofelis Species: diardi

Relatives in same Genus   Clouded Leopard (N. nebulosa)