Trio of world’s smallest leopard seen in Oman mountains. Watch first-of-its-kind video
A trio of spotted animals walked through the rugged terrain of Oman’s mountains. Unbeknownst to them, a nearby trail camera filmed their movements — and recorded a first-of-its-kind video.
The animals were identified as three adult Arabian leopards by Oman’s Environment Authority in an Oct. 18 Instagram post. The leopards crossed through the Dhofar mountains.
A video shows the first-of-its-kind sighting, officials said. One leopard appears in the valley between two steeper slopes then walks up the right-hand slope. A few paces behind, a second leopard follows up the rocks. Moments later, a third leopard emerges and walks a similar route up the rocky hill.
The leopards look about the same size and easily blend into their surroundings, the video shows. The trio walk outside the camera’s range and the video ends.
This Arabian leopard sighting is rare because of the animal’s small population and habits.
Like other leopard species, Arabian leopards are usually solitary animals, according to the Al Ain Zoo in the United Arab Emirates.
Arabian leopards are the world’s smallest leopard species, according to the wild cat conservation group Panthera.
These leopards live in rugged areas of the Arabian Peninsula but are critically endangered and near extinction, according to the Arabian Leopard Fund, an organization dedicated to saving the species. Less than 200 Arabian leopards are left in the wild and concentrated in Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman.
The mountains of the Dhofar Governorate are the “only one true stronghold of Arabian leopards,” according to Panthera.
Dhofar is a southern coastal region, about 615 miles southwest of the capital city, Muscat. It borders the Arabian Sea to the south, Yemen to the west and Saudi Arabia to the north.
About 50 Arabian leopards are known to live in Oman, according to the Arabian Leopard Fund.
Google Translate was used to translate the Instagram post from Oman’s Environment Authority.
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