Record-breaking female Sunda clouded leopard tracked for over six years in Borneo study

A female Sunda clouded leopard has been monitored via camera traps for 6.51 years in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo, setting a new longevity record for the species. This finding comes from a comprehensive study spanning 2007 to 2023, involving 13 camera-trap surveys across forest preserves. Researchers from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, the Sabah Forestry Department, and Panthera collaborated on the project, which identified multiple individual leopards. The study, published in Biotropica, revealed that females are detected 68% less often than males due to their canopy-dwelling behavior. Wai-Ming Wong of Panthera emphasized that long-term monitoring is crucial for understanding population dynamics. Thye Lim Tee noted that the under-detection of females could obscure breeding success assessments. The research documented leopards moving up to 40 kilometers between forest areas. This work provides the most extensive lifespan data yet for the rare Sunda clouded leopard, found only on Sumatra and Borneo.