📸 PhotoPhoto: Lee Elvin · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons Source
Mainland Clouded Leopard
Neofelis nebulosa (Mainland Clouded Leopard · ウンピョウ)
💡 Everyday Comparisons for Size, Mass & Speed
- 💡 A maximum weight of 23 kg is slightly heavier than a 20 kg bag of rice, and a length of about 2 m is similar to the length of a bed (Comparison).
- 💡 It has been heavily hunted for its pelt on the black market, and owning a pelt became a status symbol in some Asian countries, making the skin trade a continuing poaching threat (ADW).
Reference standards: coach bus ~12 m, mid-size car ~4.9 m, compact car ~1 t, basketball hoop 3.05 m, credit card 8.56 cm.
Site-computed relative index from recorded values; not a formal scientific metric.
📖 1. Overview
The Mainland Clouded Leopard is a medium-sized wild cat skilled at climbing trees in tropical forests up to 3,000 m in elevation, where it rests and hunts in the canopy.
🦴 2. Anatomy & Morphology
Its most distinctive feature is the cloud-like oval markings on its coat. Large paws, short legs, and a long tail make it well adapted for climbing, allowing it even to hang upside down from branches.
🔍 3. Ecology & Behavior
A secretive, solitary nocturnal hunter, it preys on birds, fish, monkeys, deer, and rodents. Wild reproduction is poorly known, and captive breeding in zoos is difficult because males sometimes bite and kill females.
🇰🇷 4. Connection to Korea
No direct record connecting this species to Korea has been found.
📚 Sources & References
- • IUCN Red List VU (2021) — https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/14519/198843258
- • IUCN Red List category VU — latest assessment at iucnredlist.org
- • mammaldiversity.org — 1006019
- • iucnredlist.org — 198843258
- • wikidata.org — Q36135
- • commons.wikimedia.org — File:Clouded Leopard (205918213).jpeg
- • animaldiversity.org — Neofelis nebulosa
- • Silhouette: PhyloPic — Margot Michaud · CC0 1.0
Recorded dimensions are widely cited representative estimates from public literature and may vary by study or specimen.