Fleeting Felines

One of the most beautiful cats around is the clouded leopard, so named because of the 'clouded' spots on its coat. 

Source::  Wikipedia

It lives in southeast Asian forests and is one the few cats that can go down a tree headfirst due to its specially modified ankles, and can hang upside down from branches by its back feet.  Like the tiger, this cat isn't afraid of water and is a good swimmer.  My, what big teeth you have!  This cat which is actually not a leopard, has the longest canines relative to skull size of any living carnivore.  Its teeth and jaws are very similar to extinct saber-toothed cats and are thought to be the evolutionary link between the small cats (such as the sand cat and domestic cat) and the large cats (lions and tigers).  The clouded leopard's tail is almost as long as its body and can weigh up to 50 pounds.

Source:  Wikipedia

The Sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi), previously known as the Bornean clouded leopard, is recognized as a genetically distinct species from the species simply known as the clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa) which has three sub-species, one living from southern China to eastern Myanmar, a second found from Nepal to Myanmar,  and a third which lived in Taiwan and was just recently declared extinct.   There may be as few as 10,000 clouded leopards left in the wild. 

Sunda Clouded Leopard    Source:  Wikipedia

The Clouded Leopard project is dedicated to the conservation of clouded leopards and their habitat.  You learn more about their work and see more photos and video here.