Was the Iriomote cat a phantom?
On Iriomote Island in Okinawa Prefecture, a cat living in the mountains had long been known to the islanders by names such as “yamamaya” and “yamapikarya” (“the thing that shines in the mountains”). But researchers outside the island did not know of it, and until the late 20th century it was a “phantom cat” that had never been scientifically confirmed.
How it was discovered and confirmed
In 1965, the animal writer Togawa Yukio visited Iriomote and obtained a pelt and skull from islanders. Imaizumi Yoshinori of the National Science Museum examined the specimens and described it as a new species in 1967. The discovery of a new wild cat in Japan in the late 20th century was big news in Japan and abroad.
What we know today
Later research found that it is now considered a subspecies of the leopard cat, which is widely distributed across Asia. As a precious animal living only on the island, it is designated a Special Natural Monument of Japan, and its population is estimated at about 100. Traffic accidents are a major threat, and conservation efforts continue on the island, including “Watch out for wildcats” road signs. It is one of the creatures, like the okapi and the coelacanth, that were once unknown to science.
