Clouded Leopard Classification and Evolution
The Clouded Leopard is a medium sized feline that is found inhabiting the dense tropical jungles of south-east Asia. The Clouded Leopard is the smallest of the world's big cats and despite its name, it is not actually that closely related to Leopards and is instead believed by many to be an evolutionary link between big cats and small cats. Clouded Leopards are incredibly shy animals and coupled with their highly nocturnal lifestyle has meant that little is known about their behaviour in the wild as they are very rarely seen. The Clouded Leopard has recently been split into two separate species which are the Clouded Leopard (found on the mainland) and the Sunda Clouded Leopard (Borneo and Sumatra). Both species are already very rare with numbers constantly declining due to the hunting of them for their meat and fur, along with the loss of vast areas of their tropical forest habitat.