| a medium-sized wild cat, Felis nebulosa, with brownish-gray fur spotted or striped with black, native to southeastern Asia and Indonesia: an endangered species. |
| cloud·ed leopard (klou'dĭd) n. A medium-sized feline mammal (Neofelis nebulosa) native to southeast Asia, having brownish or gray fur with black markings similar to those of a leopard. |
clouded leopard
strikingly marked cat, very similar in colouring and coat pattern to the smaller, unrelated marbled cat (Felis marmorata). There are two species of clouded leopard, which are genetically distinct from one another. Neofelis nebulosa, found on the mainland of southeastern Asia, particularly in forests and other wooded regions, and N. diardi (also called the Bornean clouded leopard), found on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo, are thought to have diverged about 1.4 million years ago. The population of clouded leopards declined sharply in the latter half of the 20th century as a result of hunting and deforestation. They are reported to be nocturnal and to live in trees; they prey on birds and on small mammals, such as pigs and monkeys.
Learn more about clouded leopard with a free trial on Britannica.com.