This tendency causes problems for zoos and other keepers of clouded leopards because it is difficult to increase the number of captive animals and diversify the gene pool. To date only about 20 percent of the captive population has reproduced. The beautiful coat of the clouded leopard is very popular on the black market. Cubs have different coloring than adults in that the large spots on their sides are completely dark. Adults have rosette-like spots.
Adults are dark brown to ocher-yellow with distinctive black stripes, spots and blotches.
The forehead and top of the head have no spots. Six black lines run down the body from the nape of the neck to the flank where the stripes fade into blotches or rosettes. The tail is long, bushy and ringed and tipped with black. Young are usually born with blue eyes which change gradually to the adult coloring. Like all cats, clouded leopards have the tapetum lucidum, a special layer of tissue on the eye, which reflects back all external light and helps them see at night.