Mammmal Monday #6

MAMMAL MONDAY#6 (sort of…)

We had a holiday last Monday, so we didn’t post a mammal. In order to make it up for our fans we picked one of our favorite mammals. This shy, reclusive and hard to spot mammal is quite the climber, which is a good thing since they live in the trees. Who is this special mammal? Let’s find out…

MEET THE CLOUDED LEOPARD!

Range/Habitat: South/Southeast Asia (China/India/Nepal/Malaysia)/foothill mountains

Diet: Carnivore: birds, boars, monkeys, deer

Length/Weight: 23- 43”/ 33-50lb

Conservation Status: Vulnerable

Fun Facts:

• The Clouded leopard is the smallest of all big cats.
• Clouded leopards are nocturnal (they are active at night) and arboreal (they live in the trees).
• They have some great adaptations for living in trees. Their back ankles can rotate, allowing them to grip on branches and trees. They can also hang upside down off branches.
• Clouded leopards can also climb down trees head first, kind of like a squirrel.
• Their tails are as long as their bodies which help them balance while climbing.
• They get their name from the cloud like spots that they have on their bodies.
•  Because they are so shy and reclusive, they are hard to study in the wild.
• They have the largest canine teeth (those are the sharp pointy ones) compared to their body size, of all the wild cats.

These shy and special cats are one of our very favorites. We think they have such beautiful coats. We met one who lives at Zoo Atlanta, his name is Moby.  He’s a great climber too!