Neofelis nebulosa (Griffith, 1821)

Don E. Wilson & Russell A. Mittermeier, 2009, Felidae, Handbook of the Mammals of the World – Volume 1 Carnivores, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. 54-168 : 127

1.

Indochinese Clouded Leopard

Neofelis nebulosa

French: Panthéere longibande / German: Nebelparder / Spanish: Pantera nebulosa

Taxonomy. Felis nebulosa Griffith, 1821 ,

Guangdong, China.

Three extant subspecies recognized historically, but recent morphological and molecular evidence suggests reclassification of diardi , as a separate species, the Diardi’s Clouded Leopard. Two subspecies actually recognized.

Subspecies and Distribution.

N. n. nebulosa Griffith, 1821 — Indochinese region and S China.

N. n. macrosceloides Hodgson, 1853 — Sub-Himalayan zone from Nepal to Myanmar.

Descriptive notes. Head-body 68:6-106. 7 cm, tail 61-84. 2 cm; weight 11-23 kg, adult males larger than adult females. A large Indochinese Clouded Leopard is nearly the size of small common Leopard. Indochinese Clouded Leopards are shortlegged, longbodied cats with broad feet and long tails. Background coat color varies from buffy-gray or brown to pale yellowish-brown. Coat is marked with distinctive cloud-shaped patches that resemble the markings of Marbled Cats. Posterior bordersof the patches are edged in black and the inside of the patchesis darker than the background color. The cloudshaped patches vary in size, with the largest patches occurring on and just behind the shoulders. There are scattered black spots on the legs, feet and underparts. The thicklyfurred tail is marked with dark rings. Skull elongated, resembling that of a small Leopard. Canines are exceptionally long, relatively the longest of any felid. The upper canines can measure 4 cm or longer and have been likened to those of saber-toothed cats.

Habitat. Usually associated with primary evergreen tropical rainforest, but little is known of its habitat requirements. Based on a relatively small number of locations visited by two radio-collared Indochinese Clouded Leopards in Thailand, the cats prefer dense primary evergreen forest. In south Nepal a subadult male was captured in dry woodlands, radio-collared and relocated to a nearby national park. During the ten days it was followed it used tall grasslands and hill forest. In other parts of their geographic range there are anecdotal accounts of Indochinese Clouded Leopards using relatively open, dry tropical forest, secondary and logged forest, and mangrove swamps.

Food and Feeding. A variety of terrestrial and arboreal vertebrates are reported as prey, including porcupines, Bearded Pigs (Sus barbatus), young Sambars ( Rusa unicolor), muntjacs ( Muntiacus ), mouse deers ( Tragulus ), and palm civets. Primates include Proboscis Monkeys ( Nasalis larvatus), Crab-eating Macaques ( Macaca fascicularis), Southern Pig-tailed Macaques ( Macaca nemestrina), and langurs. Domestic stock, including goats, pigs, and poultry may also be taken. The Indochinese Clouded Leopard’s arboreal abilities are well known and with its large feet, short legs, and long tail,it is well equipped for moving about in the trees. However, most hunting and traveling is probably done on the ground.

Activity patterns. Indochinese Clouded Leopards are thought to be primarily nocturnal but an increasing number of camera-trap photographs show this cat to be active both day and night. The two radio-collared cats in Thailand were active on 35-45% of daytime observations, increasing to 85% at dusk and then declining to 60% at night. Both cats were least active around midday (11:00-14:00 h) and in the predawn hours (02:00-05:00 h).

Movements, Home range and Social organization. The only data on movements and home range sizes comes from the two radio-collared cats in Thailand. In the first two months after capture an adult female’s home range measured 33-3 km? and that of an adult male was 36-7 km?, but the actual ranges of both cats were thought to be larger, especially that of the male. The two animals used trees primarily for resting; most movements were on the ground.

Breeding. In captivity mating encounters often result in aggressive behavior and males frequently kill females with a neck bite. Thusfar the most successful method for breeding these cats in captivity has been to raise a male and female together from the time they are a few weeks old, establishing a pair bond when the cats are young. Estimates of gestation length range from 85-109 days, but 88-95 days is more likely. Litter size is 1-5, but 2-3 is most common. Cubs begin to eat solid food between 7-10 weeks but continue to suckle until 11-14 weeks. Young reach sexual maturity at 20-30 months.

Status and Conservation. CITES Appendix I. Classified as Vulnerable on The IUCN Red List. The Indochinese Clouded Leopard has not been recorded in Taiwan in recent times and may be extinct there. There are few observations of Indochinese Clouded Leopards in the wild and virtually nothing is known of the species status throughout its range. Recent camera-trapping surveys have found thatthis cat is much less common than the Leopard. As the Indochinese Clouded Leopard is strongly associated with forested habitats, deforestation and habitat conversion is a major threat.

Bibliography. Austin & Tewes (1999a), Baudy (1971), Buckley-Beason et al. (2006), Dinerstein & Mehta (1989), Eaton (1984), Fellner (1965), Fontaine (1965), Geidel & Gensch (1976), Hemmer (1968), Kitchener et al. (2006), Lekagul & McNeely (1991), Murphy (1976), Nowell & Jackson (1996), Rabinowitz (1988), Rabinowitz et al. (1987), Santiapillai (1989), Sunquist & Sunquist (2002), Werdelin (1983), Wilting et al. (2007), Yamada & Durrant (1988).

Figures

On following pages: 4. Tiger (Panthera tigris).

Subspecies and Distribution. N. n. nebulosa Griffith, 1821 — Indochinese region and S China . N. n. macrosceloides Hodgson, 1853 — Sub-Himalayan zone from Nepal to Myanmar .