Formosan Clouded Leopard
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| Neofelis nebulosa brachyura (Swinhoe, 1862) |
The Formosan Clouded Leopard (Neofelis nebulosa brachyura) is a subspecies of Clouded Leopard that was endemic to the island of Taiwan and is now believed to be extinct. Its tail is slightly shorter than that of other subspecies of Clouded Leopard.
The Formosan Clouded Leopard was the second-largest native animal on Taiwan, after the Formosan Black Bear. After extensive loggings at its natural habitat, the leopards were forced to retreat into the Jade Mountain and Dawu Mountain. After the 1980s, there have been no sightings of this animal.
The Rukai Taiwanese aborigines believed that their ancestors transformed from these leopards.
