Clouded Leopard: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Big Cats · day 7 of 7

Five facts

1. In captivity, clouded leopards have been seen climbing down vertical tree trunks head-first.
2. Their 61 to 91 cm long tail gives balance in the canopy, and they can hang upside-down by bending hind paws and tail around branches.
3. Their back legs are longer than their front legs, which helps them leap. They can jump more than 1.2 m high.
4. For its body size, the clouded leopard has the biggest canines of any cat, so it is often called a "modern-day sabre-tooth".
5. Its upper canines are 4 cm long or more, about three times as long as the base of their socket is wide.

The quiz

1. How have captive clouded leopards been seen going down tree trunks?

• Tail-first
• Head-first (correct)
• Sideways
• In big leaps

They have been seen descending vertical trunks head-first.

2. How long is a clouded leopard's tail?

• 61 to 91 cm (correct)
• 6 to 9 cm
• 16 to 19 cm
• 161 to 191 cm

Their tail is 61 to 91 cm long.

3. How high can a clouded leopard jump?

• Over 0.12 m
• Over 12 m
• Over 1.2 m (correct)
• Over 120 m

They can jump over 1.2 m high.

4. What nickname has the clouded leopard earned?

• Tree lion
• Shadow cat
• Forest tiger
• Modern-day sabre-tooth (correct)

Its long canines earned it the nickname modern-day sabre-tooth.

5. How long are a clouded leopard's upper canines?

• 0.4 cm or more
• 4 cm or more (correct)
• 14 cm or more
• 40 cm or more

Their upper canines measure 4 cm or longer.

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