A New Species of cat is found in the wild which looks like Clouded Leopard

The stone cat [ Pardofelis marmorata ] is a type of wild cat that is still found in Indonesian forests.

This species is small. Known for good at climbing and likes to stay in trees .

This stone cat has similarities with the clouded leopard . Both have distinctive and irregular spot patterns on their fur . The hair color of the cat's hair is south brownish gray to reddish yellow brown in wide spots .

The stone cat is spread from the foot of the Himalayas in Nepal eastward to southwest China, southwards throughout mainland Southeast Asia , as well as on the islands of Sumatra and Kalimantan.

The stone cat [ Pardofelis marmorata ] is a type of wild cat that is still found in Indonesian forests.

This species is small. Known good at climbing and likes to live in trees. When descending, he was able to turn his head upside down.

"Little is known about its biological conditions and behavior," said Meidina Fitriana, Liaison Officer of Save Indonesian Nature & Thereatened Species/SINTAS Indonesia to Mongabay Indonesia , Friday [17/02/2023].

This rock cat has something in common with the clouded leopard. Both have distinctive and irregular spotted patterns on their fur. The color of the rock cat's hair is brownish gray to reddish yellow brown in wide spots. The color is paler in the middle. Meanwhile, on the legs there are black spots, as well as on the head and neck which have black lines.

However, the appearance of this stone cat's head looks short and round, compared to other cats. The forehead is wide and the pupils are large.

“In its mouth, there are relatively large upper canines. Its tail is long and shaggy, a form of adaptation that is good for living in trees."

The stone cats are distributed from the foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal eastward to southwestern China, southward throughout mainland Southeast Asia, as well as on the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.

In Sumatra, stone cats are spread across the Bukit Barisan landscape from Aceh to Lampung.

The results of SINTAS identification through camera traps, this stone cat was found in Gunung Leuser National Park, Aceh.

Meanwhile, in the Riau Ecosystem Restoration [RER] area in the Kampar Peninsula, Riau, this species has been identified.

Meidina explained, based on observations, this wild cat is a nocturnal territorial animal [active at night]. However, there were also findings of daytime activity, and most importantly, it was a solitary animal.

The food of this species is thought to include arboreal animals [which live in trees] such as squirrels, bats and birds, in addition to preying on land animals such as mice, reptiles, frogs, insects and fish.

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Distribution in Borneo

In Kalimantan, stone cats are observed quite often. Andrew J Hearn, Joanna Ross, Raymond Alfred, and Rustam's research entitled " Predicted distribution of the marbled cat Pardofelis marmorata [ Mammalia: Carnivora: Felidae ] on Borneo "in Raffles Bulletin of Zoology , 2016, explains that there are 106 records of the cat's discovery from 2001 until 2011.

The findings were carried out with high precision, that is, they were recorded in the form of photographs at a distance of two kilometers, with known geographic coordinates. This data comes from Sabah and Sarawak [Malaysia], Brunei Darussalam, North Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan and West Kalimantan [Indonesia].

"A total of 25 findings were in the form of low-precision recordings, above 5 kilometers," the researcher wrote.

Even though there are more records of discoveries from Sabah, it does not mean that this stone cat is not suitable for habitats in the Indonesian part of Borneo. This is due to the lack of research in the Indonesian region.

The habitats considered suitable for this species are lowland forest, upland forest, low mountain forest, and swamp forest. However, rock cats are also often found in plantations, mixed crops, as well as ponds.

In Indonesian territory, such as South Kalimantan, researchers suspect it is in the Meratus mountains.

"Surveys of wild animals in this province are very rare, intensive research is needed to find out their distribution," the researcher wrote.

In Central Kalimantan, the habitat that is considered very suitable for rock cats is Sabangau National Park and the surrounding forest. In West Kalimantan, the potential areas are in Gunung Niut and Gunung Palung.

"These records show that rock cats are very dependent on forests, especially large forest cover," explained the researcher.