Scientists have identified a tiny wildcat living in Bolivia’s cloud forests as a new species.
The discovery of Leopardus tilcayo, or the tilcayo tiger cat, was detailed in a new study published in the scientific journal Current Biology.
The small spotted cat lives in the Bolivian Yungas, where the Andes meet the Amazon basin. Researchers say it weighs about 3 pounds, making it smaller than many domestic cats.
Scientists analyzed genetic material from tiger cats across Central and South America and found the tilcayo represents its own distinct species. Genetic evidence suggests its lineage separated from its closest relatives more than a million years ago.
The animal had been known to people in the region, but had never been formally recognized as its own species by scientists. Researchers used the traditional local name “tilcayo” when naming it.
According to the Current Biology study, the discovery is particularly significant because it represents an entirely new living cat species rather than the reclassification of a previously known subspecies.
Researchers say more work is now needed to determine how many tilcayo tiger cats remain in the wild and what conservation measures may be needed to protect them.