Scientists have announced the discovery of a previously unknown wild cat species in the forests of Bolivia. Described in the journal Current Biology, the new species has been officially named as Leopardus tilcayo. According to the research team, it is the first newly discovered cat species in more than a century and the first new member of the cat family to be formally described since 1923.
Smaller Than a House Cat With a Distinctive Look
The Leopardus tilcayo is remarkably small, measuring about 46 cm in body length and weighing around 1.4 kg, making it even smaller than a typical domestic cat. It has a light brown fur covered in irregular spots, along with short, rounded ears, a scrunched-up face, and long whiskers, that give it a unique charming appearance.
Raised as a House Cat During Its Early Life
The only publicly confirmed living individual of this newly identified species is a 10-year-old male.
In 2017, a Bolivian resident found this kitten on a road near a forest and assumed it was an ordinary house cat. He brought it home and raised it as a pet. However, after about a year, the animal began displaying increasingly obvious wild animal behaviours. Realising it was not a domestic cat, the owner eventually transferred it to Bolivia’s Senda Verde wildlife sanctuary.
Scientists Initially Mistook It for Another Tiger Cat
When Bolivian biologist and National Geographic Explorer Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz first encountered the feline, she also believed it belonged to the known tiger cat species, the Leopardus tigrinus.
However, while she was preparing a booklet about Bolivia’s cat species, she noticed several distinct differences between this cat and the guidebook reference photo of oncillas from neighbouring Brazil. Most notably, its rosettes were much larger than those seen in other tiger cats. This observation led researchers to suspect that the animal might represent a previously unrecognised evolutionary lineage.
Genetic Analysis Uncovers a Hidden 1.4-Million-Year History
The research team later collected tissue samples from this cat and another undisclosed cat for genetic testing. Their analysis ultimately confirmed that the samples represent a previously unrecognised species.
The study revealed that Leopardus tilcayo diverged from other tiger cat lineages around 1.4 million years ago. Its genetic distinctiveness is so significant that the evolutionary distance comparable to that between modern lions and extinct cave lions.
The species name, Tilcayo, comes from the traditional local name used by people living in the region.
A Species Potentially Facing Conservation Challenges
Scientists currently know that the Leopardus tilcayo lives in Bolivia’s Yungas forest ecoregion, along the eastern slope of the Andes Mountains.
The study suggests that this newly recognised species was previously grouped within a much more widespread tiger cat complex. As a result, its actual population size may be far smaller than earlier estimates suggested. Researchers say that wild population numbers remain unknown, but the discovery highlights the species’ conservation significance and the need for further study.
Beyond identifying a new species, the finding also reshapes scientists’ understanding of the evolutionary relationships among South America’s small wild cats and underscores the growing urgency of conservation efforts to protect them.
