Sundaland Clouded Leopard - New Species - Filmed For First Time In Borneo - AFP

[hatrack]

The Sundaland clouded leopard, a newly identified and little understood species of big cat in Borneo
, has been filmed for the first time. The leopard, a healthy-looking animal a metre long (3 feet) and weighing about 40 kilos (90 pounds) was caught on video at night at the Dermakot Forest Reserve in Malaysian Borneo's Sabah state.

"What surprised us was that while clouded leopards are very elusive cats, this one was not scared at all," said Azlan Mohamed, a field scientist with University Sabah Malaysia. "Despite our powerful spot lights and the roar of our vehicle's engine, it walked around our vehicle calmly," he told AFP. "It is rare to see the big cat in the wild. These cats are usually shy of humans, it was by chance we caught it on video."

The Sundaland clouded leopard was classified as a new species through genetic studies several years ago and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature designated it as endangered in 2008. Previously all clouded leopards living across the Southeast Asian mainland were thought to be the same species.

Azlan said the Sundaland species is the biggest predator on Borneo, a resource-rich island split between Malaysia and Indonesia where wildlife habitats are under pressure from logging and plantations.

EDIT

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/First_footage_of_new_leopard_species_captured_in_Borneo_999.html

[Lorien]

1. Beautiful animal. It's a shame that the footage isn't at the link! nt

[nashville_brook]

3. here's a pic...

[AlecBGreen]

4. wow!!!!

i wouldnt want to run into a pack of these guys at night...alone...in the indonesian rainforest...

[Schema Thing]

2. I'm going to tell my fundy friends that scientist believe it evolved...

into a new species in the last 15 years due to global warming.

[guardian]

5. So you like

sounding ignorant in front of other people?

[Schema Thing]

7. No.

Do you like sounding like a humorless moron?

[guardian]

6. Neat story

Thanks for posting.