‘Possibly extinct’ flat-headed cat seen on camera after 30 years

Biologists were flabbergasted when an elusive animal thought to be extinct was rediscovered in Thailand — a staggering 30 years after it was last spotted, according to conservation officials.

The flat-headed cat is among the world’s rarest and most threatened felines — with only 2,500 adult individuals living in their native homeland of Southeast Asia, Smithsonian reported.

The clawed creature — named for its elongated forehead and flat skulls — was even labeled “possibly extinct” within Thailand, where the last sighting occurred in 1995.

That was until, between 2024 and 2025, camera traps picked up the critters staggering 29 times during a conservation survey in southern Thailand’s Princess Sirindhorn Wildlife Sanctuary, Science Alert reported.

In addition, footage showed included a female flat-headed cat with her cub, which was a positive sign for an animal that typically only produces one baby at a time.

The campaign was a joint effort by Thailand’s Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plant Conservation and the conservation nonprofit Panthera, both of which are helping carry out the largest-ever survey of the species, Mongabay reported.

Conservationists were awestruck over the discovery. “Rediscovering flat-headed cats in southern Thailand is an extraordinary moment for conservation,” Wai Ming Wong, Panthera’s small cat conservation science director, told the outlet.

Meanwhile, Surasak Yimprasert, head of conservation, research and animal health at Songkhla Zoo in Thailand, exclaimed, “I thought that we probably wouldn’t find flat-headed wild cats in Thailand anymore.”

The tiniest wild cat in Southeast Asia, flat-headed cats weigh only around 4.5 pounds—half the size of a domestic cat. Their small size combined with their nocturnal nature and tiny population make them difficult to find.

They also reside in impenetrable wetland environments like peat swamps and freshwater mangroves — ecosystems that are hard to navigate for scientists.

The species’ webbed toes and streamlined bodies help them navigate this inhospitable terrain, allowing them to pursue shrimp, fish, frogs and other aquatic prey, according to the Felidae Conservation Fund.

Despite their lack of accessibility, these environments are under threat from fishing, agriculture and other human activities.

Conservationists hope these latest discoveries will help kickstart conservation efforts.

“Robust, up-to-date data like [the new findings] is invaluable for accurately evaluating [the species’] status and guiding conservation priorities,” Wong tells Mongabay. “It underscores the urgency of safeguarding Thailand’s remaining lowland habitats so that species like the flat-headed cat have a future.”

The team plans to submit their discovery to the IUCN’s Red List Committee, which is responsible for biodiversity surveys and keeping the org’s threatened species list up to date, with the goal of updating the the critter’s status in Thailand.

However, though more research will likely be necessary to make this change.