Hey there! Regarding Mandalay's unusual tail color, the pictures I've seen look like her tail gradually got lighter as time went on. And a few weeks ago I went to my zoo and the CLs there had light tails like Mandalay has. The keeper said they were like 13 years old; and I remember reading that Mandalay is an old lady herself, so I'm wondering if the lightened color is just an old CL thing..? Would love your thoughts on this! Love your blog btw keep up the great work! :) -panthxra
Hello!
That would make sense I guess, lots of species go ‘grey’ as they get older. I didn’t think about that. I’m not sure exactly how old Mandalay is, but she and Ben are ‘retired’ so is possibly a fair age. I mean, generally, clouded leopard coats can be hugely variable in colour -ranging from definite brown to grey. So it could be that she is just pale anyway, but combined with the ageing process has gotten paler. You might have hit the nail in the head! I always forget to think of the simpler explanations.
Thank you for the compliment, I’ve been so busy lately I haven’t had time to do much with it. Hopefully soon I can start writing some more posts!
