March 14 is Pi Day, in celebration of the mathematical constant 3.14. This is also a magic number at the Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium because it means it is our Pi’s day – Pi the clouded leopard!

Pi shares his name with the infinite number and celebrates his twelfth birthday today! He came to Pittsburgh in December 2014 when he was nine months old. Clouded leopards love to be in trees in the wild, and this feline resident of the Islands is no exception. He loves to nap throughout the day, high in the “Y” of a tree in either his dayroom or outdoor yard.

“Pi is a very laid-back guy,” says Mammal Keeper Mark McDonough. “He loves to interact with all the keepers and chuffs any time he sees us. Though he likes these interactions, he also loves his space. He will come up and say hello and rub his cheek against the mesh but doesn’t stay that long.”

Clouded leopards are considered the missing link between small and large cat species. They have many unique adaptations. They cannot roar like other big cats but also cannot purr like small cats. This is because it has a different neck bone structure than other members of the cat family.  They communicate by growling, hissing, and chuffing. The clouded leopard’s teeth are the largest among all cat species in comparison to their skull size.

These cats are native to dense forests in the foothills of the Himalayas from Northeast India, Bhutan, Southeast Asia, and South China. Their distinct yellowish-brown coats feature irregular dark stripes and cloud-shaped spots. With short stocky legs and a tail that is equal in length to their entire bodies, clouded leopards are designed for life in the trees. Their ankles can also rotate 180 degrees, enabling them to climb down trees headfirst or hang just from their back feet to ambush prey from above. These features allow them to maneuver through dense trees with ease, and hunt for monkeys, wild boar, and small deer.

Clouded leopards are classified as Vulnerable due to habitat loss, illegal wildlife trade, and hunting for their exceptional coats. The Pittsburgh Zoo & Aquarium is committed to clouded leopard conservation and participates in a survival breeding plan. “Pi is a father to cubs throughout the world with one living in Australia and is also a grandfather to five cubs,” says McDonough. Pi also shares his Pi Day birthday with his first daughter, Rukai.