She has webbed feet like an otter, a flattened skull unlike any other cat, and she hasn't been seen in Thailand for nearly 30 years.
Until now.
The flat-headed cat (Prionailurus planiceps), one of the world's rarest and least-studied wild felines, has been rediscovered in southern Thailand — confirmed through camera trap footage captured in the Princess Sirindhorn Wildlife Sanctuary, a peat swamp forest in Narathiwat province.
The images, collected throughout 2024 and 2025 by Thailand's Department of National Parks and the conservation group Panthera Thailand, show multiple individuals of this elusive species going about their secretive, semi-aquatic lives. Most excitingly, one sequence captured a female flat-headed cat with a cub — direct evidence that the species is not just surviving in Thailand, but breeding.
The flat-headed cat is a genuinely unusual animal. About the size of a domestic cat but built for water, it has long, narrow feet with more webbing between the toes than any other cat species — even more than its better-known relative, the fishing cat. These 'otter feet' help it navigate the muddy, waterlogged terrain of peat swamp forests, where it hunts fish, frogs, and crustaceans.
Its skull is distinctively flattened — an adaptation that may help with underwater hunting — and its teeth are sharper and more pointed than typical cats, designed for gripping slippery aquatic prey.
Listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, the global population is estimated at fewer than 2,500 mature individuals. The species is found only in Borneo, Sumatra, and Peninsular Malaysia — making this Thai rediscovery particularly significant, as it extends the confirmed range of the species.
Peat swamp forests, the flat-headed cat's primary habitat, are among the most threatened ecosystems in Southeast Asia. Drainage for palm oil plantations, logging, and urban development have destroyed vast areas across the region. The Princess Sirindhorn Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the last significant peat swamp forests remaining in Thailand.
'This rediscovery highlights the critical importance of protecting remaining wetland habitats,' said researchers involved in the survey. 'These ecosystems support species found nowhere else on Earth.'
For conservationists, the footage is both a celebration and a call to action. The flat-headed cat's return to Thailand's records proves that protected areas work — but only if they remain protected.
Somewhere in a flooded Thai forest, a mother cat with otter feet is teaching her kitten to fish. She doesn't know she's famous. She just knows the swamp is home. 🐱