New species of leopard (Bornean Clouded Leopard) world discovered

jpak

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Thu Mar-15-07 11:39 AM
Original message

New species of leopard (Bornean Clouded Leopard) world discovered

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/technology/technology.html?in_article_id=442309&in_page_id=1965

Long thought to be identical to the clouded leopards living on mainland South East Asia, genetic analysis has shown that the Bornean big cat is in fact a separate species.

Scientists have counted at least 40 key differences in the DNA of the two felines - making the two species of clouded leopard almost as different as a lion is to a tiger.

Some of the differences are clear to the naked eye, with the elliptical spots or 'clouds' which give it its name, being smaller and darker on the island variety.

The Bornean clouded leopard also has darker fur than its mainland cousin.

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slackmaster

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Thu Mar-15-07 11:43 AM
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1. Cool

Edited on Thu Mar-15-07 11:43 AM by slackmaster

There hasn't been a new cat species discovered for a long time.

I want one.

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Lorien

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Thu Mar-15-07 11:59 AM
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3. Clouded leopards are one of the most aggressive and endangered

of all wild cats. They're so aggressive, in fact, that one of the big hurdles to increasing their numbers is getting them to mate without killing one another! The clouded leopard also has the largest fang to skull ratio of any wild cat. Kinda a mini saber toothed tiger!

Very cool that a new species was found. I hope it can survive the coming decades.

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slackmaster

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Thu Mar-15-07 12:38 PM
Response to Reply #3

6. They do animal shows with them at the San Diego Zoo

The trainers seem to have them under control. They used to do one where a female (smaller) clouded leopard would climb to the top of a 12-foot pole, then jump down and land on a trainer's shoulder.

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grasswire

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Thu Mar-15-07 11:44 AM
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2. GORGEOUS

I recently watched a TV special about an expedition to Borneo to find new species. Gee, it was fascinating and beautiful.

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hlthe2b

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Thu Mar-15-07 12:08 PM
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4. that is one BEAUTIFUL cat....

I just hope his habitat isn't on the verge of ruin and he can continue to thrive.

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muriel_volestrangler

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Thu Mar-15-07 12:47 PM
Response to Reply #4

7. They stand a reasonable chance, apparently

From the BBC story on this:

WWF, which maintains a large conservation operation on Borneo, estimates there are between 5,000 and 11,000 clouded leopards on the island, with a further 3,000 to 7,000 on Sumatra.

"The fact that Borneo's top predator is now considered a separate species further emphasises the importance of conserving the 'Heart of Borneo'," said WWF's Stuart Chapman, co-ordinator of a project seeking to preserve the island's wildlife.

The three governments with territory on the island - Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei - signed an agreement earlier this year pledging to protect the "Heart of Borneo", 200,000 square kilometres of rainforest in the middle of the island thought to be particularly high in biodiversity.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/6452555.stm

In a radio interview, someone said this 'heart' has so far not lost much of its area - the logging is in the more accessible coastal areas of Borneo.

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blondie58

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Thu Mar-15-07 12:24 PM
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5. too cool!

What a beautiful feline!

And I still feel for poor Jorge- and of course the woman zookeeper who was killed at the Denver Zoo a couple of weeks ago. Am I wrong to wonder why poor Jorge had to pay for a human beings mistake? I still haven't heard what the problem was, but the safety net that they had in place wasn't in use- there was a gate open that shouldn't have been.

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Lochloosa

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Fri Mar-16-07 08:32 AM
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8. Hunting trip coming up!

:sarcasm:

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depakid

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Fri Mar-16-07 10:54 AM
Response to Original message

9. That thing would be damn hard to spot in the bush

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DinahMoeHum

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Fri Mar-16-07 11:23 AM
Response to Reply #9

10. Yep, the camouflage is just amazing. . .

really blends in with the background.

:wow:

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JohnWxy

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Fri Mar-16-07 01:40 PM
Response to Original message

11. wonderful news! It's interesting how much his spot pattern & dark shading looks like a jaguar's -

Edited on Fri Mar-16-07 02:11 PM by JohnWxy

they both live in a dense jungle environments. The spots are much larger and darker than other leopards.

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roguevalley

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Fri Mar-16-07 04:34 PM
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12. utterly surreal beauty. completely inscrutible. thank you.

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leveymg

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Fri Mar-16-07 06:07 PM
Response to Original message

13. Now we have to hunt the last ones into extinction

Edited on Fri Mar-16-07 06:12 PM by leveymg

Free plane tickets to Borneo when you renew your NRA membership. While they last.

Don't even wait for a regularly scheduled flight. Just grab your gun and go.

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