A captive Chinese mountain cat takes a defensive posture at a zoo in Beijing.

The cat's long, dense coat and thick underfur protect it from harsh Tibetan snowstorms, but such defenses are useless against local hunters, who covet its pelt.

"These [new camera-trap] pictures will call attention to one of the rarest and most beautiful small cats," said Jim Sanderson, a cat specialist with the Wildlife Conservation Network who has studied the animal for the last four years.

"Until now, even cat specialists had only seen this animal as skins or in less than perfect shape in zoos," he said.

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