CLOUDED
LEOPARDS - ENVIRONMENT
News:
With nimble feet, clouded
leopards play hide-and-seek in the forests
What's
in the news?
● Two
scientists from the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) have found that the
clouded leopard in western Assam’s Manas National Park and Tiger Reserve seems
to play a mysterious game of hide-and-seek in the tropical canopy forests.
Key
takeaways:
● A
new study reveals that the clouded leopard does not follow any specific pattern
of operating in a certain space, unlike other carnivores.
Clouded
Leopard:
● The
Clouded Leopard is a medium-sized wild cat found along the regions of the Himalayas and South-east Asian Nations.
Features:
● Its
pale yellow to dark brown fur has distinctive markings, new study reveals that
the clouded leopard does not follow any specific pattern of operating in a
certain space, unlike other carnivores clouds in the sky.
● Due
to this feature, it is named 'Clouded Leopard.' It is generally found between
11 to 20 kilograms in weight and 60 to 110 cm long.
● They
have the longest canine teeth (in proportion to their bodies) as compared to
any other living feline.
● Their
broad paws, short legs and long tail make them very good tree climbers.
● Clouded
Leopards can climb up and down, hang
upside down, and hunt in trees.
Habitat:
Global:
● The
Clouded Leopard is found along the foothills of the Himalayas in countries like
India, Bhutan, and Nepal, along with
Bangladesh, Myanmar, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and China.
● Its
habitats include high altitudes of the Himalayas, Tropical Evergreen
Rainforests, dry Tropical Forests, and even Mangrove Swamps.
● Sometimes,
they are spotted at the height of 9000 feet in the Himalayas. But usually, they
are found up to a height of 6000 feet.
● These
cats are believed to be regionally extinct in Taiwan and Singapore regions.
India:
● It
is found mainly along the foothills of the Himalayas in North Eastern states.
● These
include the Northern regions of West Bengal, Sikkim, forests of Meghalaya,
Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura.
Conservation
Measures:
● IUCN Status:
Vulnerable
● It
is included in the 1st Appendix of the
CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild
flora and fauna).
● India
has placed Clouded Leopard under Schedule
1st of the Wildlife (protection) Act of 1972. This has provided it with the
highest protection and prohibited hunting.
● Meghalaya
has declared the Clouded Leopard as its state animal.