Bornean Big Cat
The Bornean big cat is also known as the Bornean Clouded Leopard or Diard’s Leopard. Whatever you want to call it, this is a medium sized wild cat that is found in the areas of Borneo, Sumatra, and the Batu Islands. This is a truly beautiful cat that has irregularly shaped markings that have dark edges that are shaped much like clouds, which is where the species gets its name.
The species was first noted in the 19th century yet little has been learned about it since then other than the very basics.
For a long time the Bornean big cat was thought to be the same as the clouded leopard but genetic results prove that it truly is its own species and should be treated accordingly. It’s thought that there are between 5,000 to 11,000 cats left on Borneo and 3,000 to 7,000 on Sumatra and hunting of the species is strictly prohibited.
The Bornean Big Cat
The Bornean big cat is quite stocky, weighing around 55 pounds and is the largest predator in Borneo. The cat has short, very flexible legs, large paws, and is sure footed for its size. It has the longest canine teeth of any existing feline and its tail is often as long as its body, as it helps to increase the balance of the cat to make catching prey up in the trees much easier.
Habitat
The Bornean big cat can be found in Borneo and Sumatra, both of which are in the Malay Archipelago. The cat was also known to be found in Java, but there is not any evidence that it has been there since the Neolithic times. The species is known to have preferred tropical and subtropical forests that were at altitude of up to 6,500 feet above sea level. Not much is known about what the cats do in the forests as they are a very secretive species, and their solitary nature doesn’t allow for much in the way of observation and reports of their behavior.
Diet
The Borneo big cat is very much a carnivore, meaning it is a meat eater. The cat will easily feed on birds, pigs, cattle, goats, deer, porcupines, monkeys. The species is thought to spend a lot of time in the trees and is an adept hunter.
Bornean Big Cat
The big cats are thought to have litters of two to five live young after a gestational period of 86 6o 93 days. The cubs will be fed with their mother’s milk for five months, with males developing faster and wanting independence sooner than the females.
Conservation
Little is known about this species of wild cat, but they are protected because a cat that is often thought to be the same, the Clouded Leopard, is often hunted for their pelts. The limited area that these cats are found does make it easier for them to be protected, though deforestation, habitat destruction, and poaching are always concerns with a rare species such as this.
About Author
where can i buy pictures of paint by numbers of these beaitful cats the snow leoprod etc. the are the most beautiful cats i have ever seen. please email me if you can help. i am 84 my hobby is to paint . i am wheel chair bound and this is something i like doing. thank you very much jim brown.
hi these things are amazing
These amazing animals are so beautiful! Their depth and texture let them settle and camoflauge into the brush of Borneo! thx for the info! enjoyed ur site!:)
Hi, what a beautiful cat.. I was staying in Sandakan for a few years from 2005 to 2007 and i have a habit of taking my bike into wooded areas away from city limits..I was not sure where i was but i followed this one road i believe north east from sandakan about one hour bike ride…i took notice the area was like jungle because it had huge old trees through out the area and it was off the beaten track…i hid my bike and went hiking in about 45 minutes and found it to be very peaceful and quiet, the smell was moist and the nature sounds were comforting..i decided to lay near a stream for half hour and took a short nap, when i woke up i noticed loud sounds like very angry monkeys..i thought it was territorial wars, anyhow to my astonishing moment i glimpsed up the tall tree near by and noticed the monkeys were running from a big cat.i was a bit nervous because the only weapon i had was a broken branch nearby..anyhow i hear a huge horrifying scream and noticed the cat had a monkey between his jaws..he had caught one…i was so angry with myself because i was lazy to pack my camera at this momentum trip. stupid me, anyhow i am not sure if the cat had seen me below at the stream and i got nervous and my mind thinking he may want to wash his food down and here i am at the stream of his possible choice. Then i could not believe he made a huge leap from one branch to a lower branch with the monkey still in his mouth. it looked small from above, but as it got closer he was surely much bigger…my heart was beating not with excitement but what if he sees me..thank my lucky stars i wore old green military pants and a gray shirt, i blended in the area very well, but how long was my stay going to be before he notice my scent or whereabouts. he sat down on the big branch and started to eat the monkey..for some odd reason i lost my fear and was more inspired…I slowly moved a bit to get a better view of him, i was pushing my luck for sure..but i needed a better look and for sure i had no idea what kind of cat he was until just now seeing the clouded leopard picture here on your site…I only thought there were black panthers here in Borneo..but i am wrong now…and so i wanted to get a comfortable view of him and i slowly moved to a tree and leaned against it and just looked up at him and see the sheer beauty of his skin. at times he moved where the sun would make his colors glow or shine i should say..I was happy now to make this choice to venture to nowhere land and confront such a beautiful creature…I had stories to tell now. all of a sudden the cat moved a bit and so it happened he glimpsed at me and made a mild not roar but like a message to stay away a bit, a friendly warning maybe…than so odd i hear a loud sound in the bush behind me and it was time to wet my pants i felt..what was it, it was grunting and making weird sounds, making much noise and i noticed the cat had stopped munching on his meal for a bit and was just as curious who or what was coming from behind me, the leopard no joking looked at me for a quick second like it was telling me what the heck was it? and to my left side came a wild pig..one ugly looking pig, it seems he was munching on fruits fallen from the tree, the cat made a loud sound causing the pig to run into the jungle…wow how lucky i was to see so many wildlife that day..birds, monkey’s,a cat, a pig, squirrels, and insects…oooh speaking of insect i had seen about 20 plus ants..they were huge…red with black abdomen…lucky it was going up a tree and not on me..so creepy those things…anyhow part of the monkey had fallen from the tree and maybe 5 feet from me…was that a good thing or a bad thing??..i did not want to wait around and find out…at that very moment the cat had jumped up into the tree tops and he was gone..and it was my call to get out as well…so i did….when i arrived at my bike i took my pack from the bush and noticed i was in that spot for 4 hours, wow so long…near by i heard a loud sound and engine sound..it was a Tractor leaving the trail with a tank filled with rubber fluid. so i waited till he was gone and i followed his trail back out to a main roadway. as i rode back home i had thought about how am i going to tell this remarkable story to my friends and family members..they would laugh at me…for some odd reason i decided to keep the adventure to myself because if word got out i feel hunters want to hunt him and i did not want that to happen…so i never told anyone up till just now…I only told my story because i never seen any pictures of this cat i had seen till now on your page..so thanks for posting a picture of the cat and now i can complete my adventure knowing i met Mr. clouded leopard…my only disappointment was i did not bring my camera that day. but maybe God did it for a reason. Ty Roland Gauthier