Discovering mysterious creatures in Borneo forest

A mysterious red-haired creature is caught in a video shot in the Indonesian Borneo jungle, possibly a new carnivore.

The animal is a bit bigger than a domestic cat, has dark red fur and a long tail. It was "snapped" twice in a camera by researchers of the WWF organization working in Kayan Mentarang National Park, located on Indonesia's Borneo island.

Its overall shape, with its long muzzle, small ears and strong hind legs, shows that it is a predator. It also has some similarities with ferrets or civets and may belong to this group, or belong to a whole new group.

" It is difficult to determine whether this is a completely new species, or just a variant of a known species ," said Nick Isaac, a researcher at the Zoological Association in London, England.

" We show the locals the pictures of this animal but no one has ever seen it. We also asked some wildlife experts from Borneo. Some said it looked like lemur, but most believe it is a carnivore, "said Stephan Wulffraat, a biologist at WWF.

He said that the only way to know if this strange animal belongs to a new species is to catch it.

MT ( Newscientist )