New Wild Cat Species Discovered in Bolivia After More Than a Century — But It May Already Be at Risk

A small spotted cat hidden in the cloud forests of Bolivia has rewritten a chapter in the history of wild cats. Scientists have formally identified the animal as Leopardus tilcayo, the first living cat species to be newly named and described in more than a century.

Known locally as the Tilcayo, the cat inhabits Bolivia's mountainous Yungas forests, where dense vegetation, high humidity and frequent cloud cover create a difficult environment for researchers to survey. The findings were published in the journal Current Biology.

Tiny Cat, Major Scientific Discovery

The Tilcayo measures about 46 centimetres in length and weighs roughly 1.4 kilograms, making it smaller than an average domestic cat.

Its light-brown coat is covered with irregularly shaped rosettes. Researchers initially became interested in the animal because its physical characteristics did not closely match descriptions of the tiger cats previously known from the region.

Genetic analysis eventually confirmed that the Bolivian cat represents a distinct species. Researchers found that its lineage separated from other tiger cats around 1.4 million years ago.

Researchers Found Only Two Living Tilcayos

Despite the significance of the discovery, scientists have very little information about the species.

Researchers have so far examined just two living Tilcayos, along with a limited number of camera-trap records. One of the animals studied is a 10-year-old male now living at Senda Verde Wildlife Sanctuary after previously being kept by a local family.

Early observations suggest the species may be primarily nocturnal. Small rodents found in scat samples indicate that they could form part of the cat's diet.

Tiger Cats Were Hiding More Than One Species

The discovery also changes scientists' understanding of the tiger-cat group.

Tiger cats are considered cryptic species, meaning closely related animals can look extremely similar despite being genetically distinct. Researchers analysed DNA from 38 cats sampled across several South American countries, including eight museum specimens.

The analysis found that what had previously been treated as a single tiger-cat group actually consists of five genetically distinct species.

The study also identified a new subspecies in Peru's Yungas, named Leopardus tigrinus antisuyo. Its name refers to Antisuyu, one of the regions of the Inca Empire that included the area where the animal occurs.

New Species Faces an Old Threat

The discovery comes with a conservation concern. The Yungas is under increasing pressure from deforestation, agricultural expansion, human-caused fires and mining.

Researchers have submitted their findings to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which plans to assess the five tiger-cat lineages separately. A separate assessment could reveal a higher level of threat for the Tilcayo than is apparent when tiger cats are considered as a broader group.

Scientists say protecting remaining native forest, restoring areas damaged by fires and maintaining links between fragmented habitats will be important for the species.

Scientists Warn Other Species Could Disappear Unnoticed

The discovery highlights how much remains unknown even among familiar groups of animals.

Senior study author Eduardo Eizirik told Reuters that many undiscovered species could be facing threats before scientists have the opportunity to identify them.

For the Tilcayo, the next challenge is no longer simply finding out that it exists. Researchers now need to determine how widely it occurs, how large its population is and how quickly its forest habitat is changing.