The Formosan Clouded Leopard was a leopard population exclusive to Taiwan
It reached a body length of up to 0.6 - 1.2 meters while its tail reached to 0.7-0.9 m and weighs between 15-30 kg.
The Formosan Clouded Leopard was believed to differ from the clouded leopard by having a shorter tail
The leopard was believed to be the biggest carnivore in Taiwan but overhunting for the skin and deforestation lead to their demise
Their habitats were tropical forests and rainforests but they also lived in shrublands and woodlands
An interview survey conducted in 1986 that 70 Native Taiwanese hunters revealed that they sighted a Formosan clouded leopard in the Tawu Mountain area in 1983 for the last time
In 1989, the skin of a young leopard was found in the Taroko National Park area, which was the last confirmed leopard
Pugmarks reported in the 1991 or the 90s near Yushan National Park that there was a suspected, but not confirmed clouded leopard
It it assumed that clouded leopards migrated to the Yushan Range and Tawu Mountain after extensive logging of natural habitat
Between 1997 and 2012, camera trapping surveys were conducted in more than 1,450 sites in potentially suitable habitats across Taiwan, from the shore to an elevation of 3,800 m
in fragmented lowlands and in protected areas. This survey also included 13,000 camera trap nights between 2000 and 2004 in the Tawu Mountain Nature Reserve and the adjacent Twin Ghost Lake Important Wildlife Area.
But not a single leopard was found so they consider them extirpated
In 2018, two separate groups of rangers allegedly sighted a clouded leopard in Taitung County.
One group claimed to have seen a Leopard climbing a tree and hunting goats on a cliff.
The other group contended to have observed a Leopard darting past a scooter on a road and climbing into a tree.
And that is the end so I hope you enjoyed this and if you did remember
EXTINCTION IS FOREVER
