In recent camera trap records in Arunachal Pradesh's Dibang Valley, six different colour morphs of the Asian Golden Cat have been recorded! No other place in the world has so many different morphs of any single wild cat species! These variations are thought to be evolutionary adaptations to blend in with different densities of vegetation in the cat's rainforest habitat.
The observations were made by Sahil Nijhawan, scientist at the Zoological Society of London, along with Iho Mitapo and Jibi Pulu from the native Idu Mishmi community. (I had the privilege of staying at Mr. Pulu's homestay and interacting with him during my field visit to Dibang Valley in 2018).
The comic appears in my column with Sunday Mid-day.
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