The Fur of This Rare and Elusive Leopard Creates an Amazing 3D Illusion

Viewed from the right angle, the spots of the extremely elusive clouded leopard create an amazing 3D optical illusion.

Wow, those spots look so, well, three dimensional! Image credit: Charles Barilleaux
Named for its cloud-like spots, recent genetic studies have shown that clouded leopards are nut simply a type of leopard, but a separate genus. They recently made headlines when rangers in Taiwan spotted a Formosan clouded leopard, a subspecies thought to be extinct and going unseen for over 30 years.

But even before the hopeful news surfaced, professor Liu Chiung-hsi from the Department of Life Science at Taiwan’s National Taitung University told Yahoo News that he wasn’t surprised there hadn’t been a sighting, as the animal is very vigilant and purposely elusive, avoiding any human contact.

And, as the photo below testifies, the clouded leopard’s exclusive spots, which provide perfect camouflage, have definitely helped it to go unnoticed in Taiwan for such a long time.