What is your favorite thing about Clouded Leopards?

BigCatConniseur24

BigCatConniseur24

Well-Known Member
Hello,

I am trying to appreciate clouded leopards more, as it is a cat that I haven’t seen up until 2017, and there are a lot of things I don’t know about them compared to other cats. Anyways, what is your favorite quality about the clouded leopard and what makes it a like-able zoo animal compared to other common zoo cats such as leopards, snow leopards, Jaguars, or cheetahs for example? I have tried to watch documentaries on this cat, but not many exist.

Thanks!

BigCatC24
 
BigCatConniseur24 said:
Hello,

I am trying to appreciate clouded leopards more, as it is a cat that I haven’t seen up until 2017, and there are a lot of things I don’t know about them compared to other cats. Anyways, what is your favorite quality about the clouded leopard and what makes it a like-able zoo animal compared to other common zoo cats such as leopards, snow leopards, Jaguars, or cheetahs for example? I have tried to watch documentaries on this cat, but not many exist.

Thanks!

BigCatC24
Click to expand...

Well of course they are known for their incredible agility, climbing skills and versatility. Sadly, the larger leopard has all of these, and some to a greater extent. So I guess what separates them for me from other cats is their eyes. They have beautiful hazel eyes which I would argue are the most penetrating of all the cats. Their tail is another feature that makes the unique.
Hope that answers your question.
 
On a side note here is a quick look at what makes different big cat species unique for me:

Lions:
Best at: Sleeping. Living in a group relatively peacefully. Hunting co-operatively.
Weaknesses: Hate water. Infanticide. Not great at stalking.
Prominent features: Mane obviously. Bare tail with fluff at the end.
Tigers:
Best at: Taking down large prey alone. All right in water. Most 'powerful' roar. Largest of course.
Weaknesses: Infanticide.
Prominent features: Stripes obviously. Very striking eyes.
Leopards:
Best at: Best stalkers of all the cats. Definitely in the running for agility and climbing trees. Most versatile. Probably most dangerous to a human?
Weaknesses: Not the best with water. Not very big so do get bullied a fair bit.
Prominent features: Beautiful spots. Amur leopards especially have amazing eyes.
Jaguars:
Best at: Strongest bite, probably most muscular. Good at climbing. Best swimmers.
Weaknesses: Not really anything. Not the best at stalking in the family.
Prominent features: Beautiful large rosettes. Very muscular
Snow leopards:
Best at: Climbing over rocks. In the running for camouflage. Very agile as well.
Weaknesses: They're pretty small. Also reproduce quite slowly.
Prominent features: Beautiful grey pelage. Big nostrils. Massive tail for balance.
Clouded leopards:
Best at: In the running for tree climbing. Quite agile.
Weaknesses: They're really quite small so don't stand a chance competing against leopards and tigers on the forest floor.
Prominent features: Possibly the most striking eyes. Large tail for balance. Beautiful cloudy pelage.
 
amur leopard said:
On a side note here is a quick look at what makes different big cat species unique for me:

Lions:
Best at: Sleeping. Living in a group relatively peacefully. Hunting co-operatively.
Weaknesses: Hate water. Infanticide. Not great at stalking.
Prominent features: Mane obviously. Bare tail with fluff at the end.
Tigers:
Best at: Taking down large prey alone. All right in water. Most 'powerful' roar. Largest of course.
Weaknesses: Infanticide.
Prominent features: Stripes obviously. Very striking eyes.
Leopards:
Best at: Best stalkers of all the cats. Definitely in the running for agility and climbing trees. Most versatile. Probably most dangerous to a human?
Weaknesses: Not the best with water. Not very big so do get bullied a fair bit.
Prominent features: Beautiful spots. Amur leopards especially have amazing eyes.
Jaguars:
Best at: Strongest bite, probably most muscular. Good at climbing. Best swimmers.
Weaknesses: Not really anything. Not the best at stalking in the family.
Prominent features: Beautiful large rosettes. Very muscular
Snow leopards:
Best at: Climbing over rocks. In the running for camouflage. Very agile as well.
Weaknesses: They're pretty small. Also reproduce quite slowly.
Prominent features: Beautiful grey pelage. Big nostrils. Massive tail for balance.
Clouded leopards:
Best at: In the running for tree climbing. Quite agile.
Weaknesses: They're really quite small so don't stand a chance competing against leopards and tigers on the forest floor.
Prominent features: Possibly the most striking eyes. Large tail for balance. Beautiful cloudy pelage.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much for taking the time to compile that together! I really appreciate that. I’ve always held the belief that leopards are incredibly amazing underrated cats, however tigers do possess some of the same of characteristics that they do and are bigger, stronger, more powerful, and just plain more dominant, hence why the tiger is my favorite cat.
 
What I’m really interested in is how skilled and accomplished are clouded leopards at hunting and just being a predator in general. I would imagine they eat smaller prey such as rodents, monkeys, small deer, hares, and birds, but what makes this a dangerous predator to other animals?
 
BigCatConniseur24 said:
What I’m really interested in is how skilled and accomplished are clouded leopards at hunting and just being a predator in general. I would imagine they eat smaller prey such as rodents, monkeys, small deer, hares, and birds, but what makes this a dangerous predator to other animals?
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Well they don't really mind what they eat as long as it is smaller than a pig and bigger than a lizard really, but this isn't really unique to them. For example leopards can tackle grey up to the size of a giraffe and have been seen feeding on grass and melons. Of course they are the most arboreal predators of the lot, but other than that....
 
I think from a subjective zoogoing visitors perspective (only seen them a couple of times in zoos) it is their elusiveness and stealthy ability to blend into the shadows of an enclosure and appear invisible that never ceases to amaze me.

I always think that if they are that cryptic even in captivity then they must be nearly impossible to spot in their wild state in the jungles of South-East Asia.

It makes it even more rewarding when you finally manage to spot one (often they are right in front of you and watching you intently).

Aesthetically I think they are also one of the more beautiful felids with those incredible markings and the lithe sinewy build.
 
amur leopard said:
Well they don't really mind what they eat as long as it is smaller than a pig and bigger than a lizard really, but this isn't really unique to them. For example leopards can tackle grey up to the size of a giraffe and have been seen feeding on grass and melons. Of course they are the most arboreal predators of the lot, but other than that....
Click to expand...

You just proved why I prefer bigger cats compared to smaller cats. Big cats are larger and can tackle bigger prey and also don’t get bullied and outcompeted by most other carnivores. Clouded Leopards seem to be awesome and a very interesting animal, but it would’ve been nice to see them put in a larger cat such as a Snow Leopard. Similarly, they have an ocelots representing the jungles of South America instead of a Jaguar, and while the ocelots aren’t a bad choice at all, they aren’t the best cat to represent South America as the jaguar is bigger, stronger, more powerful, and just a superior cat and predator overall. The ocelot is obviously inferior to the jaguar and if it’s not careful, it could even find itself on the menu for a hungry jaguar. Yes, I’m kind of biased towards larger cats, but in my opinion, they are more more impressive than their smaller counterparts. They are deadly and very dangerous predators capable of killing almost anything (with the exception of lions and tigers not being able to kill elephants) and for the most part don’t get bullied or dominated by other predators. That’s just my personal opinion though. I still love and appreciate the smaller cats, the large and big cats just impress me and never cease to amaze and captivate me. I mean, I would rather go to a zoo that only houses tigers and lions compared to one that only houses several big cats. Call me crazy, but the presence of Panthera species, make or break zoos to me.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
I think from a subjective zoogoing visitors perspective (only seen them a couple of times in zoos) it is their elusiveness and stealthy ability to blend into the shadows of an enclosure and appear invisible that never ceases to amaze me.

I always think that if they are that cryptic even in captivity then they must be nearly impossible to spot in their wild state in the jungles of South-East Asia.

It makes it even more rewarding when you finally manage to spot one (often they are right in front of you and watching you intently).

Aesthetically I think they are also one of the more beautiful felids with those incredible markings and the lithe sinewy build.
Click to expand...
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
I think from a subjective zoogoing visitors perspective (only seen them a couple of times in zoos) it is their elusiveness and stealthy ability to blend into the shadows of an enclosure and appear invisible that never ceases to amaze me.

I always think that if they are that cryptic even in captivity then they must be nearly impossible to spot in their wild state in the jungles of South-East Asia.

It makes it even more rewarding when you finally manage to spot one (often they are right in front of you and watching you intently).


Aesthetically I think they are also one of the more beautiful felids with those incredible markings and the lithe sinewy build.
Click to expand...

All good points, but I prefer a cat who’s easy to sport and one that will come right up to the glass and not try to hide from me. I hate it when I’m trying to get a picture of an Amur leopard and it is hidden in or perched high in a tree. Does anyone know how ferocious and aggressive this species is in the wild? I know it can’t hold its own against the big cats of India (bengal tiger, Indian leopard, and Gir Forest Lions), but what animals is it capable of overpowering and dethroning. It might be able to overpower a fishing cat or a jungle cat, but I don’t know what other carnivore it overpower. I like to see cats who are capable of standing their ground and defending their territory. That means that it has the feared respect of other cats and carnivores.
 
BigCatConniseur24 said:
All good points, but I prefer a cat who’s easy to sport and one that will come right up to the glass and not try to hide from me. I hate it when I’m trying to get a picture of an Amur leopard and it is hidden in or perched high in a tree. Does anyone know how ferocious and aggressive this species is in the wild?
Click to expand...

I have no idea how "ferocious" it is in the wild (not a very good metric to use anyway) but I would assume that like most felids it probably keeps well out of the way of people and presumably also larger predators which would kill it due to intraspecific competition.

Honestly though we barely know anything about the basic ecology of the species in the wild as it is let alone anything about their behaviour.

What I do know about their aggression (and this is probably common knowledge on this site) is that a couple of decades back there were steep challenges to breeding them ex-situ due to males routinely killing their mates.

I remember reading that this behaviour had largely been brought under control by zoos through the practice of handrearing cubs and putting them together with their future mate from a very early age.
 
Onychorhynchus coronatus said:
I have no idea how "ferocious" it is in the wild (not a very good metric to use anyway) but I would assume that like most felids it probably keeps well out of the way of people and presumably also larger predators which would kill it due to intraspecific competition.

Honestly though we barely know anything about the basic ecology of the species in the wild as it is let alone anything about their behaviour.

What I do know about their aggression (and this is probably common knowledge on this site) is that a couple of decades back there were steep challenges to breeding them ex-situ due to males routinely killing their mates.

I remember reading this behaviour had been mitigated by handrearing cubs and putting them together with their future mate from a very early age.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the information
 
I've once heard they're the only carnivores with an average crown-to-root ratio of 1:1 instead of 1:2. Never double-checked that though.
 
1. I have never heard a clouded leopard say anything unkind about anyone. Never, not once. No racist jokes. No misogynistic remarks. Always positive. Always uplifting.

2. I have never gotten a robocall from a clouded leopard.

3. A clouded leopard has never tried to sell me anything. No time share pitches. No weight loss drugs. No unnecessary warrantees.
 
DavidBrown said:
1. I have never heard a clouded leopard say anything unkind about anyone. Never, not once. No racist jokes. No misogynistic remarks. Always positive. Always uplifting.

2. I have never gotten a robocall from a clouded leopard.

3. A clouded leopard has never tried to sell me anything. No time share pitches. No weight loss drugs. No unnecessary warrantees.
Click to expand...

Hilarious, trying to imagine a scam calling clouded leopard
:p
 
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