Wild Facts

Photo from Wikimedia

I was thinking that it has been awhile since we talked about a really cool predator. Okay, so the Mink is a cool carnivore but they don’t come to mind when I think of a predator.  What does come to mind though are things like sharks, bears and leopards.  Well today, we are going to look an amazing leopard called the Clouded Leopard.  This particular cat hangs out in the extremely thick tropical forests of Southeast Asia.  For the record, there are two main species of Clouded Leopard.  The first can be found in the forests of China, Mynamar and Nepal while the second is typically found on the islands surrounding Borneo.  So pick your travel destination and lets get this Wild Fact started.

The Clouded Leopard has a few unique qualities going for them.  First they have extremely large teeth.  In fact they have some of the largest teeth for the smaller felines.  Believe it or not this small cats teeth can grow to about 2 inches long, which is equivalent to that of a slightly larger cat, the Tiger.  Naturally, these large teeth are put to good use since the Clouded Leopard is a carnivore that uses their treed surroundings to their advantage for hunting.

Photo by Frank Wouters (Wikimedia)

Although, this particular Leopard is one of the best climbing cats out there, they actually do most of their hunting on the ground.  Now I know I said they use the trees to help them hunt and this is true.  They will normally climb up and be on the lookout for the unsuspecting victims down below.  From their tree-top perch they are looking for animals such as monkeys, birds and deer.  If the forest isn’t working for them, the Clouded Leopard may take a road trip to a local farmland and steal some pigs, goats or cattle.  I guess it is always a good idea to have a backup supermarket in case your favourite one doesn’t have any food one day.

Clouded Leopard Fast Fact – We haven’t been able to figure out what the exact population  is for the Clouded Leopard, but it is believed they are becoming threatened or endangered.  As usual it is hunting and habitat loss that is causing this potential decline.

Thanks for stopping by to read about one cool cat.  Make sure you tune in tomorrow for an equally cool Wild Fact.

Photograph by Beverly Joubert

I can’t really explain it but I have been absolutely fascinated with large cats lately.  The more I research and study them the more I respect and appreciate the natural beauty, power and grace of these animals.  Today, we are going to look at some interesting feeding strategies of the Leopard. For the record, I figured I would put the cute baby leopard at the beginning of the fact since nobody would be able to resist reading the post after seeing the playful kitten. Enough of my sneaky ploys to get readers! Let’s learn about the leopard!

The leopard’s habitat is in Africa, India, China, and Central Asia, but the leopard population is dwindling outside the African continent. The leopard may be closely related to lions, tigers, and jaguars, but their unique feeding habits puts them at the top of my “Favorite Large Cat List.”  The leopard is capable of dominating all aspects of their environment.  These cats are incredibly comfortable in the trees and will actually hunt from above their prey.  The spots on the leopard allow this cat to blend in with the leaves until it decides to pounce. Once they ambush their prey the leopard has been known to drag their dinner back up into the trees and have a nice quiet meal all to themselves without those pesky hyenas trying to steal their kill.  It absolutely amazes me that the leopard is capable of hauling large prey such as antelope into the tree tops.  Just think about how strong and agile you would have to be.  Heck, my muscles are aching just thinking about this heavy lifting.  If the leopard gets tired of hunting from the trees then it is fully capable of stalking their prey on the ground and pouncing like other large cats.  If they are not in the mood for either of these hunting methods then they will take to the water where they will feast on fish and crabs.  The leopard is a strong swimmer and provides one more example to the inaccuracies of the myth that cats don’t like water.  You can see why I am amazed with the diverse hunting strategies of the leopard.  They can dominate the land, air and water.  Where can you possibly go to escape these large cats? I think I would just go and hide under my bed!

Since I was so sneaky and put the cute, cuddly, wuddly, baby picture at the beginning of the post, I will include the adult below.  Enjoy!