Tilcayo tiger cat is first new wild cat in a century

Scientists have identified the Tilcayo tiger cat in Bolivia as the first new wild cat species described in more than a century, biologist Paola Nogales-Ascarrunz said.

The small spotted feline, now given the scientific name Leopardus tilcayo, was found in the mountainous Yungas region near La Paz. Nogales-Ascarrunz, who was part of the research team, said local people had mistaken the animal for an ordinary house cat.

Research on the species was published Thursday in Current Biology, after work that began in 2021. The cat is slightly smaller than a domestic cat, measures about 45 centimeters and has rounded ears.

Two tilcayo tiger cats have been found so far and have undergone whole genome sequencing, Nogales-Ascarrunz said. A 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 being attacked by locals.

Nogales-Ascarrunz said the species has so far been detected only in Bolivia. She said it is classified as vulnerable to extinction, but its small known population could mean it is at much greater risk.