A small wild cat found in Bolivia’s Yungas cloud forest has been identified as a new species, marking the first formal naming of a previously unknown living cat species in more than a century.
Called the “Tilcayo” by local communities, the cat belongs to a group of tiger cats found across much of South America. Researchers gave it the scientific name Leopardus Tilcayo after genetic analysis confirmed that it is a distinct species.
The cat lives in Bolivia’s Yungas forest, a mountainous region where forests are often covered by clouds and have high humidity. It measures about 46 centimetres in length and weighs around 1.4kg, making it smaller than the average domestic cat.
Researchers analysed DNA from 38 cats sampled across several South American countries, including eight museum specimens. The analysis found that tiger cats previously considered a single species are actually five genetically distinct species.
The Tilcayo’s lineage separated from other tiger cats around 1.4 million years ago. Evolutionary biologist and study co-lead author Jonas Lescroart of the University of Antwerp said that the amount of genetic difference between lineages can indicate how long they have remained physically separated, with the gap in this case considered a species-level divide in cats.
Researchers said that the species is difficult to distinguish by appearance because tiger cats are “cryptic species”, meaning they cannot easily be identified based only on physical characteristics.
Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, a National Geographic Explorer and one of the study’s authors, said that the Bolivian cat drew attention because its characteristics did not match existing descriptions, most of which were based on Brazilian cats.
“Its fur is light brown … with irregularly shaped rosettes across its body,” Nogales-Ascarrunz said.
The researchers currently have limited information about the Tilcayo’s biology and behaviour. Remains of small rodents found in scat samples suggest they may be part of its diet, while camera-trap records indicate the cat could be more active at night.
One of the two live individuals examined by the researchers is a 10-year-old male that now lives at Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary. A local family had previously kept the cat in their home.
The researchers also identified a new tiger cat subspecies in Peru’s Yungas and named it Leopardus Tigrinus Antisuyo, after Antisuyu, a region of the old Inca Empire that included the area where the subspecies lives.
The findings have been shared with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which tracks species through its Red List.
Eduardo Eizirik, an evolutionary biologist at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil and senior author of the study, said that the discovery shows that new species can still be found even among well-known animal groups.
