Tests have proven a long-held belief that Borneo’s rare Sunda clouded leopard is really a different subspecies from its Indonesian relative, according to researchers.

The two subspecies of Sunda leopard – which was only identified as a species in its own right in 2007 – must now be managed differently, said a report by Andreas Wilting from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research and researchers from the Sabah wildlife and forestry departments.

“The Sunda clouded leopard in Borneo and Sumatra is a different species from clouded leopards across the Asian mainland,” Mr Wilting said.

“We suspected the leopards on Borneo and Sumatra have likely been geographically separated since the last Ice Age, and we now know the long isolation has resulted in a split into separate subspecies,” he added.

“The potential that they could evolve into full separate species, given that they are separate subspecies, means that captive breeders will now be better informed to keep the subspecies apart to allow them to evolve fully.”