New tiger cat species identified in Bolivia, first in over a century
Leopardus tilcayo is the first new living cat species named and described in more than a century.
A tiny wild cat that lives in Bolivia’s lush cloud forests has been identified as a previously unknown species, marking the first time in more than a century that a new living feline species has been formally named and described.
Called “tilcayo” by local communities, the cat is part of a group called tiger cats, which are found across much of South America.
It was discovered in the Yungas forest, a mountainous region where forests are often covered by clouds and surrounded by high humidity, according to the researchers.
Tiger cats are so-called cryptic species, meaning they cannot easily be distinguished merely by appearance, evolutionary biologist and study co-lead author Jonas Lescroart of the University of Antwerp in Belgium said.