Scientists Identify First New Living Wild Cat Species in Over a Century
Researchers have described Leopardus tilcayo, a new wild cat species from Bolivia's Yungas forests, the first such discovery since 1923.
A small spotted cat that had been living at a wildlife sanctuary in Bolivia has been identified as a species new to science, marking the first time researchers have formally named and described a living wild cat species in more than a century.
The finding, published in the journal Current Biology, centres on a male cat now about 10 years old. Smaller than an average house cat, it measures 46 centimetres from head to the base of its tail and weighs roughly 1.4 kilograms. Its light brown coat carries dark, leopard-like spots.
Bolivian biologist Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, a National Geographic explorer and a lead author of the study, said a colleague who found the animal's appearance unusual invited her to examine it at the sanctuary in the Yungas region, where she volunteered. She recalled that its size stood out immediately among wild cats she knew.
To place the animal within South America's feline family tree, the team compared genomes from more than 30 cats sampled across Colombia, Peru and Brazil. DNA from bones and skins held in museums in the United States and Europe filled gaps where fresh samples were unavailable. The genetic analysis indicated that the sanctuary cat belongs to an unrecognised species whose lineage diverged from its relatives about 1.4 million years ago. The last feline species to be formally identified was the Uruguayan pampas cat in 1923.
Rather than naming the species after a scientist or explorer, the researchers chose Leopardus tilcayo, retaining a term already used by communities in the tropical cloud forests of the Bolivian Andes where the animal lives. Nogales-Ascarrunz described the choice as a way of honouring their ancestral knowledge and connection to the animal.
The work also addresses a long-standing puzzle surrounding South America's tiger cats, which scientists once grouped as a single species because of their close resemblance. The DNA analysis pointed to at least five distinct species: four previously named and the newly described tilcayo.
Jonas Lescroart, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Antwerp and a co-author of the study, said the results show that even in well-studied groups such as the cat family, hidden diversity can persist.
Much about the new species remains unknown. Its presence has been confirmed only in Bolivia's Yungas forests, and its full range has yet to be established. Researchers still need to determine its population size, diet, behaviour and habitat requirements.
The scientists hope the formal designation will support efforts to protect the forests the cat depends on, which face pressure from deforestation and mining. Lescroart said such discoveries need to be made quickly because biodiversity is under pressure and disappearing.