The Sunda clouded leopard, also known as the tree tiger or branch tiger, inhabits Kalimantan/Malaysia and Sumatra, islands located in western Indonesia and a biogeographical region known as Sundaland.
The cats are usually found in hilly and forest areas. It is estimated that there are less than 10,000 Sunda clouded leopards living in the wild.
Scientific Name: Neofelis diardi
Conservation Status: Vulnerable, decreasing population.
Meaning of the Name
Sunda Clouded Leopard – Sunda (Sundaland) is a region of Southeast Asia. The word leopard is a compound of “leo” (lion) and “pardus” (panther). Clouded leopard refers to the spots on the cat’s fur which look like clouds.
Some Sunda clouded leopard facts
- Fur is greyer than a clouded leopard
- Their markings are smaller than a clouded leopard
- Has long canine teeth which, relative to it’s skull, is longer than those of any other living cat.
- The Sunda clouded leopard’s tail can grow as long as its body.
About Sunda clouded leopards
What they look like
The Sunda clouded leopard has an overall stocky appearance with short legs. The cat weighs between 26 to 55 lbs. and is considered a medium-sized cat compared to other wild cats. Because of its size, you will sometimes find it on a list of big cats (lions, tigers, etc.). The Sunda clouded leopard has long teeth – around 2 inches in length, and a long tail. Its greyish fur has uneven shaped oval markings with dark edges, similar to the shape of a cloud, which is why it is called a “clouded” leopard. The cat’s markings are smaller and not as vibrant as China’s clouded leopard.
Where Sunda clouded leopards live
Sunda clouded leopards inhabit two large islands in Indonesia, Kalimantan (Borneo)/Malaysia and Sumatra. In Borneo that cat can be found in forests below 5,000 ft. In Sumatra, the cat inhabits somewhat hilly and mountainous areas.
Hunting and diet
Sunda clouded leopard prey includes deer, pigs, civets, monkeys, porcupine and fish. It is believed the cat hunts mostly on the ground, but will climb up trees to escape danger.
Reproduction and lifespan
Not much is known about this solitary cat. It’s lifespan is estimated at 11 to up to 17 years.
Sunda clouded leopard conservation
A key conservation issue for the Sunda clouded leopard is loss of habitat due to deforestation.
Experts believe that as much as 30% of lowland forests have been lost in the region over the past ten years, due to new settlements. Forest destruction has also been caused by an increase in oil palm plantations.
Even though the cat is protected in Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, another threat is illegal trade. The cat’s skin and body parts are used in Asian medicine.
I think this website is easy to use and great to find info for projects
I am doing a project on why we should not kill big cats I found this website very helpful.
I’m doing a project on why we should not kill big cats I found this website very useful.
Yeah, This is super helpful especially when you LOOOOVEEE cat’s like me! And this is one of the cutest species like this! Kodkod | Guina is my fav cat! Bye ya’ll
Hello BigCatsWildCats! I love your site, and I have been a huge admirer and fan of wild cats all my life. They personify beauty, grace, power, and independence. Cats are specialists, and although they can’t adapt their diet to include vegetation, they remain apex predators and true carnivores. Here in South Africa, we have been blessed with an abundance of wild and big cats, although poaching and hunting ” canned lions ” have reduced their populations adversely. I wish you all the best of luck with this website, and may you educate millions of people regarding our feline family.
It would be a bit easier to research if the types of information and headings on each type of cat were consistent. It’s harder to compare them with differing headings. Some descriptions of appearances are in the intro while others have their own headings, it really does make a difference to lazy viewers like myself to find exactly what we’re looking for.
The 1st word I say you that I am the big fan of Sundaland Clouded Leopard.A very innocent species of Big Cat that are live in the Rain forest of Borneo.And now it is a red listed Endangered species. It’s happen because of us .We destroy and kill them for their valuable fur. And now it’s our duty to protect them. I seen Sundaland Clouded leopard in the deep forest of Wehea and Mulu National park.It’s a very amazing big cat.And completely harmless species of big cat.I think they never attack to any human.But their canine teeth is very large then their actual body size.So why we kill them.Thank you so much for your website for shearing many information about big cats.
Hi Maria,
Thank you for writing. Your feedback is very much appreciated. Felines big and small are fascinating! And thanks for letting us know about the typo. It’s been fixed.
Best,
DR
Hi! First let me tell you that I love your page!! <3 I was looking for a list to decide which of all the big wild cats was my favourite and quite frankly I love them all. I´ve been a big fan of felines my whole life, I have a cat that is now 14 years old. I think that we grew together (I was only 7 when we got him) and my passion for felines has only grown with the years. Hope the very best for you and your website <3
one more thing: check the first paragraph, the sentence that begins with "The cat inhibits…" 🙂
Thanks Emily! We are working to make BigCatsWildCats one of the best wild cat resource sites on the Internet.
i think this website is really good if you don’t know that many cats or if your doing an assignment like I’m doing one about big cats 🙂