Curious cats
Credit: A.J. Hearn and J. Ross
Tree climber
Credit: Karen Povey
Kitty in a tree
Credit: Karen Povey
Researchers aren't sure what these cats eat. But arboreal prey are assumed to be important, said study lead researcher Andrew Hearn, a doctoral candidate at the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.
"There is an observation of an individual stalking birds in the canopy and another potentially preying on primates," Hearn told Live Science.
Secret camera
Credit: A.J. Hearn and J. Ross
Furry cat
Credit: A.J. Hearn and J. Ross
Long tail
Credit: A.J. Hearn and J. Ross
Candid camera
Credit: A.J. Hearn and J. Ross
The Borneo rainforest is not particularly kind to camera-trap electronics.
"A great number of units came to a premature end in the forest, making our task of recording these cats in sufficient numbers that much harder," Hearn said.
Tree loggers
Credit: A.J. Hearn and J. Ross
Surprised feline
Credit: A.J. Hearn and J. Ross
The camera traps showed that marbled cats are not found in oil palm plantations.
"This helps us to assess how populations may be changing in response to forest loss," Hearn said.
Illegal poaching
Credit: A.J. Hearn and J. Ross
The cat's meow
Credit: A.J. Hearn and J. Ross
Marbled cats appear to have higher-than-expected population densities in northern Borneo, where the threat from poaching remains relatively low, the researchers found.
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