Camera traps in Thailand have captured adorable passers-by, with major repercussions for the country. conservation efforts. Although these furry creatures may look like your average house cat, they are actually… wild flat-headed cats (Prionailurus planiceps). These extremely rare wild felines weigh less than half the average domestic animal. catand they were discovered in Thailand for the first time since 1995.
The happy news was confirmed by a survey conducted by Thailand's Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation. Panther Thailandglobal wildcat conservation organization, according to an emailed statement. Popular Science.
Flat-headed cat caught on camera
“Even species thought to be lost can be restored if we invest in protecting the habitats on which they depend,” said Wai Ming Wong, scientific director of small cat conservation at Panthera. “The presence of flat-headed cats in Thailand suggests that these ecosystems still contain remarkable biodiversity, but also highlights how urgently we need to conserve and restore them before they disappear completely.”
Flathead cats are named for their particularly flat forehead and elongated skull. They are Smallest wild cat in Southeast AsiaThey have a short body, thin legs, webbed toes and a short tail. They are also difficult to study. In addition to having a limited population, they are small, nocturnal, and prefer inaccessible places—tropical forests, swamp and peat swamp forests, swamps, lakes, streams, and riverine forests.
Researchers believe they are closely related to leopard cats and fishing cats, and estimate the total population size at 2,500 adults. Flatheads are among the most endangered wild cat species – International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) classifies them as critically endangered and “possibly extinct” in Thailand..
However, images captured by a remote camera confirmed the reappearance of the wild cat. The traps recorded 13 sightings in 2024 and 16 in the Princess Sirindhorn Wildlife Sanctuary in southern Thailand in 2025 in the largest study of the species. Notably, a mother and her calf were also spotted, confirming that the species is actively breeding in the area. This is an important finding because mothers of flathead cats typically give birth to only one kitten at a time.
The flat-headed cat is currently threatened by human-caused habitat loss from land development, fishing, agricultural encroachment, hunting, waterway pollution, and disease-transmitting domestic animals. Competition for space further reduces the wildcat's range, limiting it primarily to remote, undisturbed habitats, the protection of which is therefore critical.
“With this new discovery, which we plan to submit to the IUCN Red List Committee, we hope that the species' status can be updated to something other than Possibly Extinct,” says Rattapan Pattanaransan, conservation program manager at Panthera Thailand. Popular Scienceadding that the Committee may need additional data that it does not currently have. “Getting this level of evidence will likely require several years of further research before the status of the species can be fully reassessed.”
The announcement was made to coincide with National Wildlife Day on December 26th. The discovery of the flat-headed cat will lay the foundation for DNP and Panthera Thai's conservation planning for the species.
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