A park video from Khao Luang National Park in southern Thailand shows an Asian golden cat, also known as the “fire tiger,” walking calmly through the forest. It is a brief scene, yet it spotlights one of Asia’s rarest and least studied wild cats.

This cat is sometimes called the fire tiger in Thailand, a nod to local tradition. It is also listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) , with habitat loss and illegal hunting still chipping away at its numbers.

This cat shows striking differences in appearance depending on where it lives, and recent research has started to reveal how its many coat patterns may help it adapt to different habitats and reduce competition with other predators.

Asian golden cat is very elusive

A camera trap is a motion triggered device that records wildlife without human presence. It lets rangers and scientists detect animals that avoid people and move quietly.

This simple tool reveals who is present, when they pass by, and how they use space. It is non-invasive, practical, and far cheaper than sending teams to track elusive animals for days.

In Thailand, the Asian golden cat carries a nickname with cultural weight. Media reports describe it as a fire tiger in local folklore, a name that signals respect and caution rather than fantasy.

The nickname does not change how biologists study the cat. It does show how people have noticed and named it long before modern research reached these forests.

Adults weigh roughly 20 to 35 pounds, with males usually heavier than females according to the IUCN Cat Specialist Group. Bodies are compact, legs are strong, and the tail is long enough to help with balance in dense cover.

They live from lowland evergreen to higher elevation forests across South and Southeast Asia. That wide footprint hides dramatic differences in appearance, behavior, and prey from region to region.

Patterns in color and behavior

This species shows multiple coat forms, called color morphs, from golden to cinnamon, gray, melanistic black, spotted ocelot like, and a tightly rosetted pattern.

A UCL led study in Northeast India documented six morphs in one valley, a surprising level of variation in a single site.

“We now know Dibang Valley hosts the world’s most diverse range of color morphs of a wild cat species ever reported in one site, but we are only just starting to understand this rare ecological phenomenon,” said Dr. Sahil Nijhawan, research fellow at UCL Anthropology and ZSL’s Institute of Zoology.

From 2015 to 2016, researchers in Bhutan’s Phrumsengla National Park ran a camera trap survey across forest types and processed 400 photos of Asiatic golden cats. They recorded five morphs and reported the tightly rosetted morph there for the first time.

Their analyses also suggested that activity times differ among morphs. That variation may reduce competition and help cats share the same landscapes with fewer conflicts.

What the cameras see

The Asian golden cat does not always look the same wherever it is found. In some regions it is golden, in others it can be gray, black, or even spotted.

Studies suggest these different coat patterns may give the cats an advantage, helping them blend into their surroundings and avoid clashing with other predators that share the same forests.

Those numbers point to a flexible hunter. The cat can switch from small mammals and birds to small deer when the chance is right.

Behavior of the Asian golden cat

The Asian golden cat is not tied to a single schedule. Studies have recorded diurnal activity, bursts at dawn and dusk, and some night movement, a pattern biologists call cathemeral.

Movement ranges vary with habitat, season, and prey. That variability is one reason camera traps are so helpful for building a clear picture over months instead of a single day in the field.

Forest conversion breaks up territory and scatters prey. Roads invite hunting pressure and make shy cats avoid otherwise suitable patches.

Protected areas add time and space for recovery. They also connect teams who can keep cameras running, share data, and plan responses when threats rise.

How this all fits together

The Thai clip proves the species still uses Khao Luang. It also gives staff a waypoint for future cameras and patrols.

Color morph work explains how one species can thrive in many habitats without splitting into separate species. Diet studies show why healthy ungulate herds matter for a predator that often targets small deer.

More footage can reveal whether the same individual returns, which trails it prefers, and whether cubs appear later. A few seconds of video will never replace field time, yet it can steer that time wisely.

If you follow wildlife science, expect more collaborations across borders. The species ranges widely, so the data set grows strongest when teams compare notes rather than work in isolation.

Click here to watch the entire video of the Asian golden cat…

The study is published in the Journal of Wildlife and Biodiversity.

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