Clouded Leopard:
The Mizoram governor drew attention to the critical challenges in wildlife conservation during a function to observe International Clouded Leopard Day recently.
- Clouded Leopard is a wild cat inhabiting dense forests of the Himalayas through mainland Southeast Asia into South China.
- There are two species of clouded leopards: the clouded leopard(Neofelis nebulosa) and the Sunda clouded leopard (Neofelis diardi).
- It is found across Southeast Asia and the Himalayas in the following countries: southern China, Bhutan, Nepal, northeast India, Burma, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, and Bangladesh.
- Throughout its range, the clouded leopard spends most of its time in the tropical evergreen rainforests but can also be found in dry tropical forests and mangrove swamps.
- It has been found at relatively high altitudes in the Himalayas.
- In India, it is found in Sikkim, northern West Bengal, Meghalaya, Tripura, Mizoram, Manipur, Assam, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh.
- It is the State animal of Meghalaya.
