Researchers have photographed a rare cat in Thailand that hasn't been seen in the country for almost 30 years – and it's simply adorable.
Flat-headed cats (Prionailurus planiceps), named for their flattened foreheads, live in fragmented areas of Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia, but were thought to be extinct in Thailand.
Researchers rediscovered the cats using remote camera traps at Thailand's Princess Sirindhorn Wildlife Sanctuary in 2024 and 2025—the first sightings in Thailand since 1995. Cat conservation organization Panthera announced the reopening on Friday (December 26), which also happens to be Thailand's annual Wildlife Day.
“For decades, the flat-headed cat was considered 'probably extinct', but after years of sustained protection, strong scientific partnerships and community stewardship, we can now celebrate its return to Thailand this National Wildlife Day,” Suchart ChomklinThis was stated in a statement by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of Thailand.
Flat-headed cats have webbed feet, allowing them to navigate wetlands such as swampy peat-swamp forest, where the species is thought to primarily hunt for fish. However, researchers know very little about their lives. The mysterious cat is the smallest in Southeast Asia. weight about 4.4 pounds (2 kilograms) – smaller than a domestic cat – and almost unnoticed by people.
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) last estimate species survey conducted in 2014 concluded that flathead cats are critically endangered. They are primarily threatened by the loss and degradation of wetlands and lowland forests, as well as other human impacts such as overfishing and hunting.
Researchers went searching for the cats in remote areas of Thailand, participating in what Panthera called “the largest ever study of this species.” This work is part of a new assessment of flathead cats led by Panthera, which Panthera plans to publish in early 2026.
Camera traps captured several flathead cats, including a female and her cub, demonstrating that they not only live in southern Thailand, but also breed in the region.
“The rediscovery of the flat-headed cat in southern Thailand is a significant achievement for conservation in Thailand and the wider Southeast Asian region where the species still occurs,” Attapol Charoenchansa, director general of Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation, said in a statement.
