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Previous Articles

March 30/07

For the first time in over 200 years, a new species of big cat has been identified.

It has long been assumed that the clouded leopards of Borneo and Sumatra were the same clouded leopards found in mainland Asia. Genetic analysis and comparisons of fur patterns have now shown the two animals to be as distinct as the lion and the tiger. 

The cats have been reclassified as the Bornean clouded leopard, with the name Neofelis diardi, to distinguish them from other clouded leopards, Neofelis nebulosa. The two species, both endangered, are shown by genetic analysis to have separated 1.4 million years ago, after the animals used a land bridge from mainland Asia to Borneo and Sumatra.

Andrew Kitchener, of the Department of Natural Sciences, National Museums Scotland, who led the study of fur patterns, found that the Bornean leopard had smaller cloud-shaped markings than the mainland cat, a double stripe along the back instead of a single one, more spots within each cloud and a darker coloration. “It’s incredible that no one has noticed these differences,” he said. “The moment we started comparing the skins of the mainland leopard and the leopard found on Borneo, it was clear we were comparing two species.” The genetic findings were even more conclusive, said Stephen O’Brien, of the US National Cancer Institute, who led that analysis. “DNA tests high-lighted around 40 differences.”

 February 14/07

Why Toads Need Cougars - One cat can make such a difference. A new study finds that the ecosystem of a heavily touristed portion of Utah's Zion National Park has been dramatically altered by the disappearance of the native cougars. Researchers from Oregon State University found that after cougars fled the tourist influx in the 1940's, the deer population grew rapidly, destroying cottonwood seedlings and much of the other plant life in Zion Canyon. In what is known as a "trophic cascade," wildlife from butterflies to toads declined along with the cougar. National Wildlife Magazine Feb/Mar 2007

February 12/07

The news could not be worse for wild tigers. The first phase of an all India estimate to indicate the presence or absence of tigers in reserves, national parks, sanctuaries and unprotected forests was completed early in 2006. Several months on, most of the 17 tiger range states had not sent in their report. Numbers in Madhya Pradesh, the 'tiger state' are down by half. The offical Indian census in 2002 showed a tiger population of 500 - the 2006 estimated figures show a tiger population of 43-74.

A joint survey by three conservation groups has shown that world wide, tiger habitats throughout their range are 40% smaller than they were 10 years ago. Wild tiger populations are in "steep decline and today tigers occupy a mere 7% of their historial range." Threats to their existence are mounting, rather than diminishing. IUCN Cat News

January 29/07

A short article has been published noting a new longevity record for a wild Canada Lynx.  Jay Kolbe and John Squires determined that a male lynx they had radio-collared in the Garnet Mountains of west central Montana, and subsequently found predated by a cougar, was 16 years old, as determined by extracting and aging a canine tooth. The previous oldest lynx reported in the literature was a 14 year old female caught by a fur trapper in south central Labrador.

The paper citation is as follows:
   
Kolbe, Jay A., and John R. Squires. 2006.  A Longevity Record for Canada
        Lynx, Lynx canadensis, in Western Montana.  Western North American
        Naturalist 66(4): 535-536

January 20/07

Cats In Print  

• Lions: Vanishing In Plain Sight - Wildlife Conservation magazine - Dec 2006
• Ambassador From The Roof of the World  - Wildlife Conservation - Jan 2007
• The Ghost Cat - ON Nature magazine - Winter 2006/2007
• White Lions - BBC Wildlife magazine - Oct 2006
• Atomic Kitten - BBC Wildlife magazine - Nov 2006
• Tiger's Last Roar - BBC Wildlife magazine - Dec 2006
• Malaysian Mystery Leopards - National Wildlife magazine  - Dec/Jan 2007
• Asia's Elusive Acrobat - Zoogoer magazine - Dec 2006
• Caracals and Farmers: Can They Co-exist? - Africa Geographic magazine Sep 2006

January 15/07

The smallest wild cat in the world now has his own website! Researcher Dr. Alex Sliwa has studied the little black footed cat in South Africa, and has now set up a great website at http://www.wild-cat.org/. The site is in English & German.