Clouded Leopard Cub

SCraig · Jul 22, 2012

I posted a thread a couple of weeks ago (Click Here) showing a few shots of the newborn Clouded Leopard cubs at the Nashville Zoo. At that time I think they were about 6 weeks old, so now they would be about 10 weeks old and they are growing like weeds!

There are 5 of them in the paddock and they play just like little kittens. They have a number of toys in there, and if one of them starts playing with one at least two more cubs have to "Help" in the play. They wrestle, they groom each other, they chase each other. In short they are just enjoying life.

mikaakim · Jul 22, 2012

Awesome shot! and isn't she/he just beautiful! I have to mention it...look at the size of those paws already!

SCraig · Jul 22, 2012

mikaakim said:
Awesome shot! and isn't she/he just beautiful! I have to mention it...look at the size of those paws already!

Thanks! I'm not sure if it's a male or female but regardless I have to agree it's a beautiful cat.

I was wondering if anyone would notice the paws. That isn't distorted either. Clouded leopards have overly large paws, but even so those are enormous! They are almost full-grown paws on a kitten

Edit ... Here's another shot I took today. It's a different cat but in the same paddock.

I've read that Clouded Leopards have very unique climbing capabilities. They can hang from branch using only their hind feet and tail, they can climb down a tree head first, they can move while hanging underneath a limb. Their tails are enormous, about half their body length (Here Is a Shot showing how large their tail is but it isn't very good because of all the sunlight hot-spots. Best I've got though). I've also read that they are capable of turning their hind feet around backwards when coming down a tree so that their claws are able to hook into the tree and allow them to actually climb down as opposed to just sliding down.

cgipson1 · Jul 22, 2012

Scott... Lovely shot! Beautiful cat!

SCraig · Jul 22, 2012

cgipson1 said:
Scott... Lovely shot! Beautiful cat!

Thanks, Charlie. They are beautiful cats, and are at the age where life is fun and every minute brings a new challenge in the form of a bug that hasn't been chased, a tree that hasn't been climbed recently, or a sibling sleeping peacefully that needs a rude awakening. I could watch them all day.

mikaakim · Jul 22, 2012

Lovely...uterrly charming!

I went to Calgary Zoo yesterday and alas... The Snow Leopards were sleeping, the Mountain Lion (cougar) was sleeping the tigers were laid in the long grass, and the tiger cubs were inside not wanting to come out! will post the photos soon.

But Craig, truly beautiful pics, I think i could learn a lot from you!

SCraig · Jul 22, 2012

mikaakim said:
Lovely...uterrly charming!

I went to Calgary Zoo yesterday and alas... The Snow Leopards were sleeping, the Mountain Lion (cougar) was sleeping the tigers were laid in the long grass, and the tiger cubs were inside not wanting to come out! will post the photos soon.

But Craig, truly beautiful pics, I think i could learn a lot from you!

Thanks, I appreciate your comments very much.

Your situation sounds like my trip to the Chattanooga Zoo a few weeks ago. I got some good shots of a Male Jaguar but the cats I went to see, also a pair of Snow Leopards, were under bushes trying to get away from the heat. The Tigers here at the Nashville zoo normally lay at the rear of their paddock, and the Cougar usually lays on a big cool rock. So, yeah, I understand how it is.

The Nashville Zoo is about 2 miles from my home and I keep an annual membership. I usually go by there once every week or two, and in the spring and fall I stop by after work just to get some fresh air. According to my image database I've got just under 6,300 photographs from the Nashville Zoo. I get a good one from time to time simply because I shoot so many there

mikaakim · Jul 22, 2012

Craig,

we share a lot in common

. Upon arriving back yesterday I am adamant to by a year membership to the zoo, I must admit I wish you were with me yesterday, I really needed a hand getting to grips with this camera, but i did my best, however i did come home with 650 photo :lol:

. Although the cats were not playing the game, I got to see an animal I have been waiting to see since I was a kid, and although some may find them boring, I was like a kid, the Bears! I sat and watched the grizzly bears for about 2 hours while the kids went ahead with the wife, they dragged me away in the end. however we finished the whole zoo with 30minutes left, so I snuck back for a final watch!

Cant wait to see more of your photos from upcoming trips to the Zoo, would be great to see the cubs growing up!!

SCraig · Jul 22, 2012

mikaakim said:
Craig,

we share a lot in common . Upon arriving back yesterday I am adamant to by a year membership to the zoo, I must admit I wish you were with me yesterday, I really needed a hand getting to grips with this camera, but i did my best, however i did come home with 650 photo . Although the cats were not playing the game, I got to see an animal I have been waiting to see since I was a kid, and although some may find them boring, I was like a kid, the Bears! I sat and watched the grizzly bears for about 2 hours while the kids went ahead with the wife, they dragged me away in the end. however we finished the whole zoo with 30minutes left, so I snuck back for a final watch!

Cant wait to see more of your photos from upcoming trips to the Zoo, would be great to see the cubs growing up!!

I moved here before the zoo was built, and it had been there several years before I ever decided to visit it. Once I did I kept going back. I love animals and I love to photograph them. In my opinion an animal portrait is more difficult than a human portrait in many respects. Animals will not turn their head slightly if you ask, they will not move into the shade if you ask, they won't do anything that we ask them to do. Additionally they are behind bars, behind fences, behind glass or in the wild they are hiding themselves in bushes or flying off just as you get within lens range. We can't position reflectors or use the light as we want to, we take what is provided and have to work with it. I find it a challenge and enjoy it very much.

As far as other photographs:
Nashville Zoo at Grassmere
Chattanooga Zoo
Birds of Tennessee
Wildlife of Tennessee
Tennessee Aquarium

There are some REALLY , REALLY bad shots on those pages. For example there are a few shots of Bald Eagles that are terrible, however they are also the only time I've seen Bald Eagles in the wild so the shots stayed there. Just take the bad with the good because some of them really are bad

PixelRabbit · Jul 24, 2012

Oh my gosh!! That first shot is wonderful! The paws are HUGE?!?! I stared and stared at the first one partly because he/she is so adorable and captured so well but also because I couldn't figure out what was "wrong/different" with him lol that's it! Ginormo paws! Great info about them Scott

raygunboost · Jul 25, 2012

Amazing shot's. Also the hands are so fat haha!

SCraig · Jul 25, 2012

PixelRabbit said:
Oh my gosh!! That first shot is wonderful! The paws are HUGE?!?! I stared and stared at the first one partly because he/she is so adorable and captured so well but also because I couldn't figure out what was "wrong/different" with him lol that's it! Ginormo paws! Great info about them Scott

raygunboost said:
Amazing shot's. Also the hands are so fat haha!

Thank you both. This is my favorite exhibit at the zoo here. Presently the adults are on one side of the viewing area and the cubs are on the other side, so it's possible to see them at both extremes of their life span.

One other thing to note is that the cub above has blue eyes. This Image of some cubs they had a year or so ago show them better. As they get older their eye color will change from blue to the yellow color of the adults (Click Here to see an adult).