For more than 100 years, scientists believed that the clouded leopards found on the mainland of Southeast Asia and on the islands of Borneo and Sumatra were the same species. But earlier this month, researchers announced that genetic tests revealed that the two big cats belonged to entirely separate species.
"The results showed that there are 40 differences between the two clouded leopards," the World Wildlife Fund's Stuart Chapman told TFK. Researchers believe that the two developed into distinct species more than 1 million years ago.
The forests of Sumatra and Borneo are home to many unique animals and plants. In 2006, 52 new species were discovered in the 85,000-square-mile area of tropical rain forest known as the "Heart of Borneo." Last month, the governments of Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia, the three countries on Borneo, signed a treaty to conserve and manage the biologically diverse area where the clouded leopard lives. "This is a significant milestone in the conservation of these animals," says Chapman.