Non-black malayan leopard photographed

[Arizona Docent]

As many of you know, previous camera trapping efforts in Teman Negara, peninsular Malaysia, yielded 100% black leopards. This led to the thought that no yellow (or "normal") leopards existed in the area. However, I just received an email newsletter from Panthera showing a new camera trap photo of a normal colored leopard.

 

[Meaghan Edwards]

Here's a pic

First photos of elusive Malaysian leopard

 

[Saola]

Malaysia is indeed unusual - whereas in most other leopard range countries melanistic (black) leopards are uncommon, in peninsular Malaysia it is precisely the opposite. Kae Kawanishi's camera-trap research in Taman Negara, in the centre of the peninsula, has indeed shown this - out of hundreds of leopard photos, all were of melanistic (black) leopards. This photograph, the first scientific record of a spotted morph in Malaysia, comes from Endau Rompin, which is in the southern part of the peninsula.
Incidentally, some years ago I came across a website of a wildlife photographer who also seems to have encountered a spotted form, this time in Panti Forest Reserve, also in the far south of the Malaysian peninsula. Here is a link:
Homepage of Vladimir Dinets - Wild Cats, page 1 of 5