- Since 2018, the 4th of August has been designated as International Clouded Leopard Day.
- The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) conducted a research on clouded leopards in western Assam’s Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve.
The Clouded Leopard
- The clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) is a wild cat that lives in deep woods ranging from the Himalayan foothills to mainland Southeast Asia and South China.
- It features big dusky-grey blotches, irregular dots and stripes, and dark grey or ochreous fur that resembles clouds, hence the name.
- It is the first cat to have genetically separated from the pantherine cats’ common ancestor between 9.32 and 4.47 million years ago.
- The clouded leopard is currently classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
- It is listed in CITES Appendix I and is protected throughout the majority of its range.
India’s habitat
- It lives in deep forests in Sikkim, northern West Bengal, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Assam, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh, among other places.
- It is Meghalaya’s state animal (Note: Clouded Leopard National Park is in Tripura).
Clouded Leopard Characteristics
- Because of its huge canines, the mainland clouded leopard is agile and robust, and is frequently compared to the Ice Age sabretooth.
- It is distinguished from other felines by its spinning rear ankles, which allow it to descend headfirst from trees.
- The cat’s hide contains cloud-like markings that make it clearly recognisable.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/north-east-india/nagaland/clouded-leopard-sighted-nagaland-mountains-7709328/