Species comparison
Clouded Leopard vs Leopard
A side-by-side look at Neofelis nebulosa and Panthera pardus across body measurements, habitat, diet, behaviour and conservation status.
At a glance
- The leopard averages about 3 times the body mass of the clouded leopard.
- Both species use tropical rainforest and montane forest.
- Their ranges both include Asia.
- Both are currently listed as Vulnerable on the Red List.
Identification
How each species is named and classified.
Clouded Leopard
Neofelis nebulosa
Leopard
Panthera pardus
Clouded Leopard
Neofelis
Leopard
Panthera
Clouded Leopard
Panthera lineage
Leopard
Panthera lineage
Clouded Leopard
Medium-sized cats
Leopard
Big cats
Clouded Leopard
Mainland clouded leopard
Leopard
African leopard, Amur leopard, Arabian leopard
Body and movement
Published field measurements for adults. Ranges cover both sexes unless noted.
Clouded Leopard
2 ft 3 in – 3 ft 7 in (68–108 cm)
Leopard
2 ft 11 in – 6 ft 3 in (90–190 cm) Longer
Clouded Leopard
2 ft – 3 ft (61–91 cm)
Leopard
23 in – 3 ft 7 in (58–110 cm) Longer
Clouded Leopard
20 in – 22 in (50–55 cm)
Leopard
18 in – 2 ft 7 in (45–78 cm) Taller
Clouded Leopard
24–55 lb (11–25 kg)
Males are noticeably heavier than females.
Leopard
37–198 lb (17–90 kg) Heavier
Arabian leopards from about 17 kg; large African and Persian males approach 90 kg.
Clouded Leopard
Not reliably measured
No reliable field measurement exists for this species.
Leopard
36 mph (58 km/h)
Measured over short distances; leopards depend on stalking to within a few strides.
Life span
Typical adult longevity. Figures for managed care come from zoo and sanctuary records.
Clouded Leopard
10–12 years
Leopard
12–15 years Longer
Clouded Leopard
13–17 years
Leopard
20–23 years Longer
Habitat and range
Where each species lives and the conditions it tolerates.
Clouded Leopard
tropical rainforest, montane forest, dry forest
Primarily closed-canopy evergreen forest, but also recorded in secondary growth, mangrove, dry woodland and, in the Himalaya, forest above 8,000 feet.
Leopard
tropical rainforest, savanna, montane forest, semi-arid scrub, temperate forest, agricultural mosaic
From equatorial rainforest to the fringes of the Arabian and Kalahari deserts, and from sea level to above 15,000 feet in the Himalaya. Leopards persist in farmland and near cities where cover and small prey remain.
Clouded Leopard
Asia
Mainland South East Asia and the eastern Himalaya: Nepal, north-east India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and southern China.
Leopard
Africa, Asia
Widespread but fragmented across sub-Saharan Africa, with relict populations in North Africa, Arabia, the Caucasus, Central and South Asia, South East Asia, China and the Russian Far East.
Diet and behaviour
Feeding ecology, social organisation and hunting technique.
Clouded Leopard
primates, small mammals, birds, medium ungulates
Gibbons, macaques, slow lorises, porcupines, squirrels, pheasants, small deer and pigs, taken both in trees and on the ground.
Leopard
medium ungulates, small mammals, primates, birds, reptiles
Extremely catholic: impala, bushbuck, duiker, hyrax, hares, monkeys, birds, rodents and, in some landscapes, domestic dogs and goats.
Clouded Leopard
Solitary
Secretive and rarely observed directly; most ecological knowledge comes from camera trapping and a small number of radio-collared animals.
Leopard
Solitary and territorial
Adults maintain scent-marked ranges, with males overlapping several females. Leopards are notably tolerant of human presence when not persecuted, and often move unseen through settled country.
Clouded Leopard
Nocturnal and crepuscular
Camera-trap records cluster at night and around dusk, with daytime resting in trees.
Leopard
Nocturnal and crepuscular
Predominantly night active, especially near people, though forest populations with low disturbance also hunt in daylight.
Clouded Leopard
Arboreal and ground ambush
Prey is approached quietly and killed with a bite to the nape or skull, aided by unusually long canines.
Leopard
Close stalk and pounce
Leopards use cover to approach within a few strides, then attack with a rush and a throat bite. Prey is often dragged to cover or hoisted into a tree.
Clouded Leopard
Exceptional
One of the most arboreal cats: it can hang from branches by its hind feet and climb down trunks head first.
Leopard
Exceptional
Among the strongest climbers of all large cats; leopards regularly lift carcasses of their own body mass into the canopy.
Clouded Leopard
Capable
Recorded crossing rivers, though the species is not associated with wetlands.
Leopard
Capable
Competent in water and willing to cross rivers, but far less aquatic than tigers or jaguars.
Conservation
Red List category, population direction and the pressures documented for each species.
Clouded Leopard
VU — Vulnerable
Assessed 2016
Leopard
VU — Vulnerable
Assessed 2023
Clouded Leopard
Decreasing
Leopard
Decreasing
Clouded Leopard
Deforestation, Indiscriminate snaring, Trade in skins, teeth and bones, Prey depletion, Habitat fragmentation
Forest loss across South East Asia is the dominant pressure, compounded by intensive snaring that removes both the cat and its prey.
Leopard
Habitat fragmentation, Prey depletion, Retaliatory and preventative killing, Illegal skin and bone trade, Poorly regulated hunting
Widespread persistence disguises steep regional losses. Several subspecies — notably the Amur, Arabian, Javan and Sri Lankan leopards — survive as very small, isolated populations.
Notable traits
Details that do not fit neatly into a measurement table.
Clouded Leopard
- Relative to skull length, its canines are the longest of any living cat, a proportion often compared with extinct sabre-toothed forms.
- Rotating hind ankles allow head-first descent, a trait shared with very few other cats.
- The tail can be as long as the head and body, acting as a balance beam in the canopy.
Leopard
- Leopard rosettes lack the interior spots typical of jaguars, the most reliable field distinction between the two.
- The Amur leopard, restricted to the Russian-Chinese border forests, is among the rarest big cats on Earth.
- Melanism occurs most often in humid forest populations of South and South East Asia.
Sources used for this comparison
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Global assessment categories, population trends and documented threats.
- IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group Species accounts, distribution notes and Cat News reporting for every wild felid.
- Smithsonian's National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute Body measurements, longevity records and life-history notes.
- Wildlife Conservation Society Field programmes, camera-trap surveys and population monitoring.
- National Geographic — Animals General natural-history reference for behaviour, range and ecology.
- Panthera Field research programmes and species profiles for big and small wild cats.
- World Wildlife Fund Range descriptions, threat summaries and conservation programme reporting.