Im a bit of a big cat fan myself, clouded leopards are stunning yet don't get the publicity they deserve. i read this in the online paper and went straight to Google when i came home.
longest body and short legs ratio as mentioned for a low center of gravity, with a tail the same length as its body for balance (up to 3 feet), broad paws and flexible ankle joints in the hind legs These are some of best adapted cats for arboreal life. They are said to be clumsy looking on the ground, but can climb down tree face first or can hang with the hind legs from branches.
those canines! this i didnt know so i had a little look.
the canines are largest in proportion to body size of all living cats, san deigo zoo states they can be the same size as a tiger (5cm long). There is big gap between the canines and the pre-molars with the canines having a very sharp inside edge which gives this cat a very big bite.
http://www.cloudedleopard.org/about.htm
http://members.aol.com/cattrust/clouded.htm
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Neofelis_nebulosa.html
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/animalbytes/t-clouded_leopard.html
thanks knights for the those pics. i cant help but add some more
http://www.dinosoria.com/panthere_longibande.htm
http://www.thebigcats.com/cloudleo/cloudleo.htm
video of the bornean speces cabn be found
herehttp://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/species/our_solutions/priority_species/clouded_leopard/index.cfmanother video of a regular one
here
Edited by Leonidas - 15-Mar-2007 at 10:01