Forest Ghost: Oldest-Known Sunda Clouded Leopard Caught on Camera Trap
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Newly released camera trap footage from a recent study captures the oldest Sunda clouded leopard ever recorded in the wild.
Only found on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra, the Sunda clouded leopard is known as the 'ghost of the forest', and is rarely seen. It carries the largest canine teeth of any wild cat relative to body size, drawing comparisons to saber-toothed cats.
This 8.5-year-old female in Borneo’s rainforests offers a new and exciting glimpse into the life of one of the world’s most elusive wild cats, thanks to Panthera, the wild cat-dedicated conservation organization who conducted the study. This research is the first to document a female’s lifespan in the wild, and the data also confirmed that these leopards are far more mobile than previously assumed, with some individuals traveling up to 19 miles between forest reserves. Their total population is estimated at roughly 4,500 mature individuals.
Researchers found that females were 68 percent harder to detect than males. Camera trap data demonstrates why: females spend far more time in the trees, and their slender bodies and fluffier tails help them balance there. In contrast, males spend much of their time on the ground patrolling and re-marking territory, which is why they are snapped on camera more frequently.
The Sunda clouded leopard is overall grayish yellow or gray hue. It has a double midline on the back and is marked with small irregular cloud-like patterns on shoulders. These cloud markings have frequent spots inside and form two or more rows that are arranged vertically from the back on the flanks.
One Lion Raises Millions For Other Wild Cats: A rare Rembrandt drawing, Young Lion Resting, sold for $18 million at auction this year, with proceeds supporting wild cat conservation charity Panthera.