Can clouded leopards purr?

Clouded leopard purring

Clouded leopard purring. Screenshot.

This video shows a clouded leopard purring in my opinion although it is a typically rough edged (harder and deeper) sound so characteristic of the larger wild cats. Unsurprisingly, it is not as gentle as the domestic cat purr. The person who published the video on YouTube questioned if it was snoring but I can’t agree that it is snoring bearing in mind the amount of petting the cat is receiving. The purring is a response to petting just like a domestic cat which does not surprise me. The wild cats are almost identical to domestic cats in almost all facets of their character and behaviour.

The best book on the wild cat species: Wild Cats Of The World states that ‘clouded leopards have the typical repertoire of felid vocalisations, including the mew [meow], hiss, spit and growl but they probably do not purr’. The book was published in 2002. The video was first aired in 2019. I think the authors of that wonderful book would have written something a little different if it was published in 2020.

The clouded leopard shares the vocalisations listed above with the domestic cat yet it is said that ‘the clouded leopard shows such a close relationship with the tiger in its vocalisations that some taxonomists have placed the tiger in the genus Neofelis with the clouded leopard’.

The clouded leopard does not roar but has a long distance moaning call which it delivers from a ‘tiger hill’. It probably serves to attract a mate and/or to keep cats apart by advertising their presence.

Note: videos on this site are often made by third parties and held on YouTube servers or the servers of other businesses. Sometimes the videos are deleted at source which stops them working on this site. It that has happened I apologise but I have no control over it.

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Note: sources for news articles are carefully selected but the news is often not independently verified.

Michael Broad

Hi, I'm a 74-year-old retired solicitor (attorney in the US). Before qualifying I worked in many jobs including professional photography. I love nature, cats and all animals. I am concerned about their welfare. If you want to read more click here.

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1 Response

  1. This is purring what is this exactly, Low tones full of warmth kindness greeting love energy friendship humanity but can reach higher tones given the right harmonic frequencies so in this respect we renew our connection with nature head on in fact

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