Leopard (Latin Neofelis nebulosa) - representative of the cat family that lives in Southeast Asia. It resembles the leopard, and is considered to be fairly ancient type, and possible ancestor of today's big cats.
There are four subspecies:
Neofelis nebulosa nebulosa - Southern China, Indo-China;
Neofelis nebulosa macrosceloides - Nepal, Burma;
† Neofelis nebulosa brachyurus - Taiwan (extinct);
Neofelis nebulosa diardi - Borneo (recently highlighted in a new kind of borneysky clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi)
Clouded leopard is found in south-east Asia, from southern China to the Malay Peninsula and the eastern Himalayas to Vietnam. Subspecies, who met in Taiwan, became extinct. His biotope are tropical and subtropical forests at altitudes up to 2000 meters.
Because of the precious skins on clouded leopard in the past a lot of hunting. Today he faces poaching, but the greatest threat to its preservation is a progressive destruction of tropical forests, which are home to him. Of the three sub-species (four, if you count Neofelis nebulosa diardi) Taiwan already extinct clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa brachyurus). All kind of relate to the number of standing under threat of extinction.
In addition to the name of the clouded leopard is found incorrect spotted leopard. If you do not stop the logging of tropical forests clouded leopard will disappear forever from our planet. Also necessary to create a protected area for each clouded leopard subspecies.
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