(Tilcayo tiger cat. Photo Credit: NBC News)
Scientists have discovered a new wild cat species for the first time in more than 100 years in the mountains near Bolivia’s capital, La Paz.
The tilcayo tiger cat, a small spotted feline with a leopard-like coat, was found in the Yungas region of the Bolivian Andes.
The scientific name is Leopardus tilcayo, based on the local name given to the animal.
The cat is slightly smaller than a domestic cat, measuring around 45 centimetres with rounded ears.
Locals who spotted it had mistaken it for an ordinary house cat.
Biologist Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz, who led the research team, called the discovery remarkable because no new wild cat species had been identified since 1923.
Only two tilcayos have been found so far.
One male is living at an animal shelter in Yungas after a family handed it over.
A female was rescued and released into the wild after locals attacked it.
Scientists conducted genetic testing on both animals and published their findings on Thursday in the journal Current Biology. Research began in 2021.
The cats have only been detected in Bolivia so far.
They are classified as vulnerable to extinction, but their small numbers mean they could soon be considered at much greater risk of dying out.
