August 4 2018 – Today is the first ever International Clouded Leopard Day- so we are going to bombard you with some amazing Quick Facts about Clouded Leopards! Clouded Leopards have some amazing adaptations that make them unique even among their closest big cat relatives!

– They have exceptionally elongated canine teeth in relation to skull size- making their skulls looks very similar to Sabre tooth cats with some anatomists and evolutionary biologists think they are closely related! They are designed to sever veins and spinal cords of their rather than suffocate prey like other cats! Gruesome!
– Clouded leopards are highly adapted for dense rainforest habitat- Unlike other medium to large cats they are highly arboreal- meaning they live and even hunt in high trees! They have special designed ankle joints that mean they can climb exceptionally well- they can run face first down trees, pounce between trees and even hang by their hind feet from branches! Their short stature gives them a low center of gravity and their remarkably long tails give them extra balance high in the trees! 

– Clouded leopards get their name from their unique cloud like patterning which helps to breakup the outline of their body in low light and forested conditions- and they are mainly nocturnal or crepuscular- meaning they are active most when the sun is rising or falling- giving them even more of a edge with their amazing coat patterns when hunting prey!
– Sadly these amazing highly specialised adaptions have made Clouded Leopards are even more threatened as the require primary and undisturbed rainforest to use these amazing adaptions to live and hunt.
– More information about International Clouded Leopard Day can be found at https://www.aspinallfoundation.org/icld/