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Name : Clouded leopard , also known as the mainland clouded leopard ( Neofelis nebulosa )
Where it lives : Southeast Asia
Clouded leopards (Neofelis nebulosa) have several adaptations that allow them to live in the tropical forests of southeast Asia.
What it eats : mammalian , including ungulates , primates and rodents
Why it ’s awing : Unlike lions and cheetah in Africa , which stalk or wash across the opened plains in pursuit of prey , clouded leopard have a more arboreal approaching to life , having adapted to living in the tropical woods of southeasterly Asia .
This tree - abode lifestyle has pushed them to own remarkable ankles , which they canrotate by nearly 180 degrees .
Such unbelievable flexibility in these joints enables them to descend tree trunks headlong . In imprisonment , these cats have been observedclimbing upside down along horizontal branchesand cling down by their hind feet , enable them to leap down onto quarry below — although scientist consider they in the main trace on the ground .
Clouded leopard have light , stocky legs , minuscule bodies — between 27 and 42.5 column inch ( 69 to 108 centimeters ) long — and long tail , which are the longest of all cats relative to body sizing , and assist them to balance in trees . They can weigh between 25 and 50 pounds ( 11 to 23 kilograms ) .
Clouded leopards also have the declamatory upper canines of all exist computerized axial tomography , in dimension to their consistency size of it . Astudy published Oct.6 in the diary Science Advances take note their tooth proportions are similar to some extinct sabertooth mintage .
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When take down expectant quarry , these handsome big cat do n’t stamp out with a bite to the pharynx , unlike their heavy feline cousin-german . Instead , they bite the back of the cervix to obliterate their prey , sever the spinal cord .
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In 2006,researchers discoveredthat clouded leopards are actually two distinct species , with the now - named Sunda clouded leopards ( N. diardi ) indigenous to the Sumatran and Bornean islands .
BothN. diardiandN. nebulosaare considered vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ) Red List .
La pantera nebulosa es muy ágil en los árboles : puede desplazarse por las ramas cabeza abajo y descolgarse sujetándose por sus patas traseras . sinfulness trade stoppage , prefiere cazar en tierra por las noches y usa los árboles para refugiarse en el día . Para sabre más : https://t.co/l3ogZM51rb pic.twitter.com/DKdgr4EV5zNovember 10 , 2023
" The mainland clouded Panthera pardus lives in the dense timber across South and Southeast Asia showcasing noteworthy adaptation for aliveness in the tree tops,“Wai - Ming Wong , director of humble computerized axial tomography conservation science forPanthera , the global wild cat conservation establishment , state Live Science in an email .
" However , deforestation and agrarian enlargement threatens much of the available home ground across their mountain range . It is of the essence to develop effective conservation direction plans that include a range of stakeholder from local communities to governing agencies to safeguard the time to come of this charismatic mintage , " Wong impart .
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