Scientists have discovered a new species of wild cat in Bolivia, more than 100 years after the last new wild cat species was identified.
The new animal, called the Tilcayo tiger cat, was found in the mountainous Yungas region near Bolivia’s capital, La Paz.
The small wild cat has a spotted coat similar to that of a leopard. Local people who had seen the animal in the Bolivian Andes initially thought it was an ordinary domestic cat.
Biologist and National Geographic explorer Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, who was part of the research team, said the discovery was a remarkable event because no new wild cat species had been formally described in about 100 years.
The animal was given the scientific name Leopardus tilcayo. Its name comes from “tilcayo”, a nickname used by local residents.
The Tilcayo tiger cat is slightly smaller than a domestic cat and measures about 45 centimetres long. It also has rounded ears.
The discovery marks the first identification of a new feline species since the pampas cat in Uruguay was described in 1923.
Researchers have so far found only two Tilcayo tiger cats, a male and a female. Scientists carried out whole genome sequencing on both animals to study their genetic makeup in detail.
The male is currently being kept at an animal shelter in Yungas after a family that had taken it in handed it over to authorities.
The female was rescued after being attacked by local people and was later released back into the wild.
The research team began studying the animal in 2021. Their findings were published on Thursday in the scientific journal Current Biology.
Nogales-Ascarrunz said the species has so far only been found in Bolivia and has not been recorded anywhere else in the world.
Scientists have classified the Tilcayo tiger cat as vulnerable to extinction. However, because only a very small number have been found, researchers warned that the species could soon face a higher risk of extinction.
