Young will be nursed for about five months but can eat small pieces of meat about 40 days after birth. Cubs become independent of their mother at about 9 months old. After weaning, cubs disperse across the forest. On Their Own Almost nothing is known about the social behavior of clouded leopards. Many researchers believe clouded leopards are solitary animals, except during mating season, when a pair will spend time together.
Clouded leopards are mostly nocturnal and rest in seclusion during the day.
They hunt from trees by jumping onto the back of their victim and on the ground by pouncing on their prey. It has been reported that males may kill females when placed in captivity together, unless they are introduced at a young age. 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.