The black leopard of the Malaysian Peninsula appears to have a coat of what its name suggests, but scientists were able to expose the big cat's spots with a particular camera.

According to Live Science, a team of researchers set up hidden cameras in the leopard's natural habitat. The subsequent images showed distinct spots normally not visible.

Click here for an image gallery of the leopards, via Live Science.

The researchers, whose study is published in the Journal of Wildlife Management, had to manipulate the cameras to take pictures in a certain manner in order to get their desired result.

"Most automatic cameras have an infrared flash, but it's only activated at night", Gopalasamy Reuben Clements, of James Cook University, said in a press release. "However, by blocking the camera's light sensor, we can fool the camera into thinking it's night even during the day, so it always flashes."

The researchers believe they can use this camera trick to identify specific kinds of black leopards are therefore gather more accurate population data. Such information would be helpful for conservation efforts, especially given how rare they are on the Malaysian Peninsula.

"Understanding how leopards are faring in an increasingly human-dominated world is vital," study lead author Laurie Hedges, of the University of Nottingham in Malaysia, said in the release. "This new approach gives us a novel tool to help save this unique and endangered animal.

"This is perhaps the only known example of a wild mammal with virtually an entire population composed of black individuals."