Clouded leopards play hide-and-seek in woods
- Recently, two scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) found that the clouded leopard on its hide does not follow any specific pattern of operating in a certain space, unlike other carnivores.
Clouded Leopard
- It is a wild cat inhabiting dense forests of the Himalayas through mainland Southeast Asia into South China.
- The clouded leopard is categorised into two species
- The Mainland clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) distributed from central Nepal to peninsular Malaysia
- The Sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi) native to Borneo and Sumatra.
- They seem to go wherever they pleased without worrying about other predators, primarily because of their ability to climb trees, even hang upside down from large branches.
Mainland Clouded Leopard
- It is often likened to the Ice Age sabretooth because it has the largest canines in proportion to its skull size among all cat species.
- It also has rotating rear ankles that enable it to climb down head first from trees, unlike the other felines.
- It is considered at high risk of extinction in the wild due to deforestation and poaching.
- IUCN Status: Vulnerable
Wildlife Institute of India or WII
- It is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
- Established in 1982, it offers training programs, academic courses, and advisory in wildlife research and management.
Prelims Takeaway
- Clouded Leopard
- Wildlife Institute of India